The Phantom and the Texan
by RedRoses86
Summary: What happens when an independent, outspoken, and truthful woman from 2015 magically appears at the Opera Populaire in 1881. What happens when she lands in a certain masked man's homes beneath the Populaire? (25th Anniversary Erik, Christine, Raoul, etc) (Leroux & Kay inspired events) (Nadir included) M for language
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So this is my first POTO fanfic and this is basically what would happen if I landed in the POTO universe. I'm really excited to start writing this series. I hope you all enjoy it! All characters are owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber. O/C is mine. *Rated M for language***

 **Current Day 2015**

"Yes mother, yes I did, yes I will do it when I get home. Yes, yes, ok bye."

The young woman hung up her phone and continued her drive home. The drive from her mom's house to her house was a short 20-minute drive. She goes to her mom's house twice a week to make sure all is well since she is an only child. Once the young woman arrived home, she got out of her truck and walked to the barn. The barn was home to 3 of her personal horses; it was 7:00 o clock at night in Texas. Which meant it was time to feed the horses. She gave each of the horses their designated feed, water, and hay. Once she was done, she walked back to her house. Once inside the house, she took off her boots and went to her room to change into a clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a regular hoodie. She then put on her socks and her turquoise pair of converses. Her feet get cold very easily so she always wears her shoes inside. She went into the living room and grabbed her laptop and phone charger. She opened her computer and plugged her phone into the laptop to charge it. She then went into iTunes and went to her movies tab. She clicked on the movie "The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Special" This was one of her favorite movies and she always watched it. Since getting out of college, she's had no free time, so on nights like these; she takes full advantage and binge watches all the movies she loves. She bundled up in a blanket and pressed play. She watched up to "Music of the Night" until something weird was happening. The screen went black and then it was like a strong magnetic force pulling her in. She grabbed her phone and she soon fell into the computer screen. She then fell onto rock hard ground with a loud thud. Just as quickly as she fell to the ground, she was picked up and slammed up against the wall. She felt a strong hand around her neck and she felt force being applied. Still dazed from her fall, she couldn't see that entirely well. From what she could tell there were candles, a large object against the wall, and water; then in front of her, a tall dark figure and a white mask. She, herself, was 6 foot, but from what she could tell of this figure it was at least 6'2.

"Who are you and how did you come into my home?"

"Well that's definitely not the warm welcome I was expecting. Could you please take your hand off of my neck and put me on the ground? I kind of can't breathe and I'm still hurting from when I fell onto the floor.

"I said, who are you and how did you come into my home _mademoiselle_?"

"Your guess is as good as mine pal. I don't even know where your home is. Seriously though, can you put me down?"

"You're trying my patience, now tell me!" The hand around her neck got tighter.

"Well you're trying my patience as well! If you put me down, I can tell you what you want to know and you can tell me what I need to know. Deal?"

"The Opera Ghost does not make deals."

"Opera Ghost? Holy shit. I'm in the Phantom of the Opera. Ha, talk about a plot twist!"

Soon the young women's eyesight cleared and she could see 100's of candelabras, a lake, an organ in the center of his home, and a man with a white mask covering half of his face. The opera ghost soon getting frustrated, started tightening his grip until it got to the point to where she couldn't breathe.

"I will not ask again _mademoiselle_ , who are you? And how did you get in here?"

"I. Can't. Tell. You. Because. I. Can't. Breathe!"

The Opera Ghost then dropped her on the floor and she was gasping for breath on the ground on all fours. The Opera Ghost let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. Once the women could breathe again, she got up and brushed off the dirt that was on her clothes.

"Ok well for starters, next time you grab me like that, I will not hesitate to clock you square in the face. Now then, my name is Annabelle Fowler. I'm from Texas, in America."

The Ghost then observed the girl. She had long brown hair that went down to her back, she was wearing some sort of pants for men. He wasn't sure why she would be wearing men's pants and weird looking shoes that were a vibrant color. She had brown eyes and she was very tall for a women. She was not that much shorter than him but her height made her seem standoffish. She was thin, but not too thin to where she was emaciated. The Opera Ghost then realizing he was getting distracted rushed up to her and looked at her in the eyes.

"How did you get in my home, _mademoiselle_ Fowler?" He asked in an angry and frustrated tone

"I was honestly hoping you could tell me. Because I really have no clue how I got here… Just out of curiosity, what year is it and what country am I in?"

"It is 1881 and we're in Paris, France."

Her face then paled. Annabelle came to sudden realization that she actually was in the Phantom of the Opera universe. She was in the Phantom's underground home, which meant she was in the Opera Populaire. Her thoughts then became interrupted when the Phantom started to walk around her very slowly.

"As much as this visit has been very interesting _mademoiselle_ , I'm afraid I cannot let you live. You have seen my home and know I exist, my privacy is of much importance to me and I cannot have anyone else know it's here."

As soon as he said those words, he grabbed his Punjab lasso and put it over her neck. But she knew what was coming and was too quick. She put her hand at the level of her eyes and was able to take it off the rope around her neck. He was taken by surprise and she used his shock to her advantage. She then turned around and swung her leg under his feet and knocked him to the ground. She then climbed on top of him and held him below her.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. _Monsieur_ Phantom, I don't think you want to get rid of me just yet."

"And why would that be _mademoiselle_?" He spat.

"Because I can help you win over Christine Daae's heart." His eyes shot open and he instantly became curious.

"Ah, I see I've gotten your attention."

She then got off of him and helped him up. Expecting him to attack her again she took a couple steps back and raised her hand to level of her eye.

"How do you know of Miss Daae? Never the less, how do you know of my involvement with the girl?" He asked still angry, his eyes blazing with fury.

"I know things that you would never dream of knowing. Aren't you interested how I knew you were going to try and kill me and I avoided the attack?"

"Very much so, but I would rather you tell me how you know of my involvement with Miss Daae. " He said now crossing his arms over his chest.

"You see, I come from the future, 2015 to be exact. I am a fan of your story. In fact there have been many versions of it. I have read and seen all of it. I was watching a movie based on your story-"

"A movie? What is a _movie_?"

"Moving pictures. I was actually watching the musical version of your story and somehow I ended up to land in your home. Never the less, I know what will exactly happen to you and what will happen to Miss Daae. You see _monsieur_ Phantom, I always felt pity for you at the end of each rendition of your story. Actually, I don't even think I should be telling you this. From all the Doctor Who episodes I watch, I know I shouldn't even be here or actually talking to you! Anyway, I'm here to help you win over the heart of Christine Daae. Hopefully without changing the story too much, I really don't know how this whole time traveling thing works. Well, as long as I don't start seeing Bad Wolf everywhere, I'm sure I'll be fine. So, have I intrigued you with my offer?"

She said with a smirk on her face. She had her arms crossed over her chest and she had her head cocked to the side in a teasing manner.

"Very much so _miss_ Fowler, but I am ever so curious on how this arrangement will work."

He said while walking toward her. Annabelle held her ground and stood up straight to make sure he saw no fear in her eyes or body language.

"Well, I'll give you some very helpful tips to win _Miss_ Daae's heart. Whether you choose to take my advice or not is your choice but I can guarantee it will be ever most helpful to you. "

The Phantom was now face to face with Annabelle and he too, stood up straight looking ever so slightly down on her and looked her in the eyes. The tension in the room was building and both figures were not standing down.

"How will I know this isn't some sort of trick to stay alive and you will run screaming into Paris telling all where I live?"

"Do I look like I belong in 1881? Much less act like it? I have no where to go and I have no knowledge on what to do during this time."

The Phantom then looked at her attire once again listening to her reasoning with great interest. He saw her point with her clothes that she was wearing and listened to the way she spoke. To his disappointment, he could tell she was telling the truth.

"Do we have a deal _monsieur_ Phantom?"

The Phantom then thought about this arrangement for a few moments and then came to his decision.

"We have a deal _mademoiselle_ Fowler."

She then extended her arm and he took her hand and shook it.

"It's Anna, or Annabelle if you prefer calling me by my full name. I don't like the whole formal thing. It's not my style. Since I'll probably be here for a while, might as well be casual. What would you like me to call you?"

"Opera Ghost or Phantom would be fine."

"Uh uh, the whole Ghost and Phantom thing ain't gonna fly. I can call you by your first name or stay formal with your last name. It's up to you, but I will not call you Opera Ghost or Phantom like some scared ballet rat."

"Erik. Erik Destler."

"Alright Mr. Destler. Let's get down to business."

 **Well, that's the end to chapter 1! I hope you all liked it and will continue to read as I continue to add on to the story. I really enjoyed writing this and I am looking forward to writing more. Reviews and favorites are appreciated! Until next time!**

 **-S**

 **P.S – FUTURE ME TYPING. I have the first 5 chapters prewritten! So if this chapter gets 5+ reviews, I will upload the next chapter! Ok that's it!**

 **-S**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2, I'm hoping it will stay up to par as the 1** **st** **chapter. For those wondering, I'm not sure how long I will stretch this fanfic out. But I know I want to make it long and interesting! On with the chapter! *Disclaimer* All characters are owned by ALW. O/C is mine.**

"So tell me Mr. Destler, has Christine made her debut as a soprano yet?"

The pair made it into Erik's library, which was the room furthest away from the main room where the organ and the lake was.

"Christine makes a debut? When?" He asked.

"Awesome, I made it here just in time!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"You still haven't told me how you got here _mademoiselle_ Fowler." He asked once again.

"Just Annabelle please, and I'll get back to you on that. I still haven't figured it out in the exciting 45 minutes that I've been here. " She said sarcastically.

Annabelle went to sit down on the couch that was to her right next to the dozens of bookshelves against the wall. Once she sat down, she looked up at Erik.

"Are they in production of Hannibal right now?"

"Yes, they're actually in rehearsal at this moment."

As if right on cue, La Carlotta's screeching voice came into hearing range.

"Oh, yep. I can tell now. Hard to miss La Carlotta's screaming- I mean singing. "

Annabelle said with a giggle. Erik gave out a scoff of amusement in response to her comment.

"I think it may be entertaining having you here Annabelle."

Erik said with a small smile on his face looking back at her.

"Anyway, go and do what you planned on doing before I got here. I'll stay here."

Erik looked at her in confusion and started to walk towards her.

"I don't know if I trust you here by yourself. What if you escape or break something?"

Annabelle now stood up and walked up to him.

"I thought we've been over this. I have nowhere to go if I escape, in fact I wouldn't even know HOW to escape. If it puts your mind at ease, you can lock me in a room. I have no problem with it."

She said with her hands now on her hips in sass like manner.

"What a good idea Annabelle. Come."

Erik said with his arm motioning her to follow him. She noticed he walked very dominant like. He keeps his hands behind his back and he walks with his chest out and shoulders back. She always thought that Erik was attractive, with or without his mask. But she wouldn't tell him that. As Annabelle was thinking about his attractiveness she felt a smirk coming on her face. Still in her thoughts, she didn't realize that Erik stopped in front of her and looked back. His deep baritone voice interrupted her thoughts as she looked at him.

"Anything in particular you find amusing?" He asked with a straight face.

"Nothing really, just something's at home that I'm thinking about."

She then started laughing at a small memory of her dad.

"Ok, that was actually because of an old memory of my dad that popped into my head." She said while still laughing.

"And where is your father now?" He asked.

Annabelle's face paled and her smile disappeared immediately.

"Dead." She said with a blank expression on her face. Her cocky and overall attitude seemed to go into a neutral state. He couldn't tell if he had offended her or made her feel worse.

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me." He apologized; he then stopped in front of a door.

"Here is your room for the time being. I shan't be long. Again, I apologize for my question. It seemed to have bothered you."

"Thank you and it's ok. I've accepted it for a long time now." She said with a distant look on her face. The look quickly went away and she walked into the room. Erik noticed the look on her face and planned to ask about it later. He then closed the door and locked it behind him. He walked off to go sabotage rehearsals like he planned.

Annabelle looked around the room she was put in.

"Ah. So he put me in the swan room." Annabelle observed. She walked to the bed and touched the carvings of the swan

"Very intricate. Although I thought this was Christine's room. Sow why would he put me in here?" She asked herself. She then walked around the room until she remembered that she grabbed her phone from her computer before she landed in the Phantom universe. She checked her back pocket and sure enough, her phone was there. Her earphones were also in her back pocket with her phone.

"Yes! Something that will keep me entertained while I'm down here! I wonder…" She then turned on her phone and to her surprise; her phone was at 100%.

"Well, at least something is going my way." She said with a sarcastic tone. Annabelle soon heard La Carlotta's screeching again. Annabelle quickly covered her ears. "If it's this painful to hear her sing from down here, I'd hate to be in the same room as her!" She quickly climbed into the bed and put her earphones into her ears and started playing music on full blast to block out La Carlotta. Not realizing how tired she was, she soon dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

She woke up with a startle and soon realized that Erik must have come back. She then heard a set of keys rattling together and soon saw the door open. She noticed he had a smile of pure happiness and proud look on his face.

"I see she did well?"

"Annabelle, you were right. After I cut the ropes holding the background piece up, it fell on La Carlotta. She made a fit and left the Populaire. Then Christine sang and the managers decided that she is going to be the head soprano tonight." Erik said, still not able to get the smile off of his face.

Annabelle smiled at him. She never saw or knew what happened after Christine sang. It always cut to the performance.

"Well, I'm happy for you. I have my first piece of advice ready for you if you would like to hear it." Annabelle offered.

"I don't think I'll need your help. Everything seems to be going along perfectly." Erik said in a confident manner.

Annabelle quickly got out of bed and walked up to him.

"Oh no no. I know how this goes and I would prefer you to get the girl than some- Actually I shouldn't say anything about that just yet. I'm about to tell you how to fix one of the main reasons why you never got the girl! So are you sure you don't want to hear it?" She said, and as she was talking she got closer to Erik and ended up with her finger pointed at him.

"I will listen to your advice but you said it was my choice whether to listen or not." Erik said with a frustrated look on his face.

"Fair enough." Annabelle said with her hands going up in defeat. "After her big debut tonight, you plan on revealing yourself to her. Correct?"

Erik simply nodded.

"So, one of my most important pieces of advice is to watch her closely. She WILL try and take your mask off. The main point is don't let her take it off. Another thing, if she does take off. Watch your temper. You can be quite terrifying when you're angry." She said while walking around the room looking at Erik ever so often.

"Why would Christine ever want to take my mask off? She wouldn't do that. " He said trying to convince himself.

"Curiosity killed the cat Mr. Destler. Remember that." She said and looked him straight in the eyes. "Now I assume you will want me somewhere else when you come home tonight?" She asked. Annabelle then stopped at the head of the swan bed to look at Erik.

Erik crossed his arms across his chest and took a step towards Annabelle.

"Actually, I would like you to accompany me to the opera tonight. I need to keep an eye on you. I don't think I can trust you to stay in a room for a long period of time without breaking anything." He said with a smirk.

"You know, I would much rather stay here than get the life sucked out of me in corset." She said in a challenging manner.

"You are coming whether you like it or not. I'm not risking you breaking anything in my home."

"Do I have to? I mean I have to brush my hair, put on makeup, deal with the complicity of putting on a dress, ugh and don't get me started on heels. I do not wear heels, that is a definite no." She said, hoping he would change his mind.

"Either you do it or I do it." He said with the same smirk on his face.

"You supply the dress and the makeup and I'll do the rest. But I'm not wearing heels" She said in an authoritative and defeated tone and she also had her arms crossed above her chest.

"Already arranged _mademoiselle_. Everything you need is by the organ. You can go barefoot if you would like. We will be sitting in my box. I'll leave you to get situated. Be ready in 1 hour." He said, and then he turned around to go to his room and get ready himself.

"As you wish." She mumbled to herself

Annabelle then left the swan room and headed to the main room where the organ and the lake were. Sitting on chair next to the organ was a dark purple velvet ball gown with off the shoulder sleeves. The dress had white stitching that went down the middle of the dress, and stopped at the waist. The dress had purple velvet roses on the top of the dress that went from the left sleeve, to the neckline, and then to the right sleeve. The dress had white fabric on each half of the dress that went to the middle where the stitching ended. The white fabric was in 1-inch strips. Then there were subtle ruffles on the bottom of the dress that went all the way around it.

 _Not bad Erik… Not bad…_ She thought to herself. She then saw a pair of dark purple and white oxford heels next to the dress.

 _Erik you did not! Now I have to wear these heels. I've always had a soft spot for oxfords. Damn it, my feet are going to pay for it tomorrow. At least they aren't THAT high._ She thought.

Annabelle then grabbed the dress, corset, heels, and makeup and then she headed to the swan room. Once in the swan room, she grabbed a hairbrush and started to brush her long, thick, brown hair.

"Good thing I straightened my hair before I landed here." She chuckled to herself.

Next she worked on her makeup. She kept it light and natural since the dress was dark enough. She put a natural pink color on her cheeks and natural pink color on her lips as well. She then put a light neutral shimmer color on her eyes along with minimal black eyeliner. Once pleased with her look, she went on to the hard part. The dress. She took one look at the corset and did not want any part of it.

"I'm skinny enough, why do I need to wear one? What's the point?" She asked and then let out a frustrated sigh. She began the difficult task of putting on the corset. Once she felt she put it on right, she slipped the ball gown over her head. With her conveniently long arms and fingers she was able to lace up the gown with ease. She had to admit, the dress wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought. She then slipped on the heels and put on a simple pearl necklace. Annabelle walked over to the full-length mirror in the room to look at herself.

"Not bad Anna, I'd say you did quite a good job. You look like an actual pretty 22 year old when you try." She said to herself. Pleased with her look she walked out of the room and went back to the main room. Once there, she found Erik standing by the boat in his normal attire.

"You took an hour to get ready only to look the exact same as you did before? It doesn't even look like you changed clothes." She said in a sarcastic tone and then laughing at the end of her sentence.

Erik rolled his eyes at her statement and walked towards Annabelle.

"I must say you clean up well _mademoiselle_ Annabelle." He said.

"Well I try. And please, just Annabelle or Anna." She said in a joking matter.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"If you mean, "are you ready to get this over with?" then yes I am. The sooner we leave, the sooner I get to come back and take off this dress and these damn heels." She said in a frustrated manner.

"Ah, I see you wore the shoes." He observed.

"I have a weakness for oxfords" She said defeated.

"Well lets get going, mademois-… Annabelle." He said.

Erik then held out his hand to her and she took it and they boarded the boat and headed to the performance.

 **That's it for chapter 2! I hope you all enjoyed it! Make sure to follow, favorite, and review! The next chapter will just be them getting to know each other before the performance and the performance itself. Until next time**

 **-S**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3! I hope you all are enjoying the series, I'm having a really good time writing. Anyway *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

Once the pair landed the boat at the dock. He got out and tied the boat to shore. He then extended his arm to Annabelle. She took his hand and he helped her out. The pair then walked in silence through a secret passage that led to his private box. Once in the box, they sat down in the two chairs that were in the front. The opera didn't start until 7 and the time was currently 6:30, so Annabelle decided to make small talk.

"So, how long have you known Christine?" She asked.

"I've known her since she was a little girl, maybe 8? Her father had just passed and Madame Giry had taken her in to become a ballet girl. I remember one of the first nights she was here and she was in the church praying to her father. She started talking about an Angel of Music and I decided I would become her Angel of Music and tutor her in singing. 8 years ago." He said

"So she is 16 now?"

"Correct."

"And how old are you, if I may ask?"

"I am 24 years old." He stated

"Are you in love with Ms. Daae?"

"With my heart and soul." He said with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Must be interesting."

"What is interesting?"

"To be in love." She stated with a blank expression on her face.

"Have you never been in love?" He asked now turning towards her.

"Love is for fools." She spat, still looking in the distance.

"Why would you say that?" He said, getting angry at her comment.

She then looked towards him.

"Why do I need a man to support me? I can support myself without some man doing it for me. What does love end with anyway? Heartbreak, betrayal, marriage, and then divorce. I've seen it enough. I'm not putting myself through that. Too much damage done for one word. What's the good outcome? You spend the rest of your life with one person who could cheat, lie, beat you, or become someone totally different than you thought you knew. Yah, you could say love isn't something I'm fond of." She said now looking back into the distance.

"I see. So you've had a bad experience?" He asked.

"No, not me personally. It happened to my parents. I've seen the damage done to my closest friends. Even one of my closest friends killed herself because she couldn't take the pain of being broken hearted. I'm too strong and independent to go through that." She said

"I thought you said you had good memories of your father?" He asked.

"Some are good, most memories aren't enjoyable." She said

"What happened if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't know to be honest. My mom said everything was fine until I turned 7. She said something happened at work and he came home angry and then started drinking. I have very small memories of him and my mom when I was younger. A few months after that day, he cheated on my mom, lied to her, and occasionally hit her or me. My mom felt bad for him during that time so she stayed with him. She took the cheating, lying, drinking, and beating just to stay with him. She believed he could change. Where as I knew he couldn't. So one day, after he slept with some other woman after work, he went to a bar and of course got drunk. He was drunk driving and on the way home he hit a tree. He was killed on impact. I was 10 at the time. The police came to our house and they told my mom. She started crying, but I was relieved that he was dead. Is it bad to say that? That you were relieved that your own father died?" She asked

Erik was about to respond but the lights in the theatre dimmed letting the audience know that the performance is starting. He then turned towards the stage and watched as Christine sung on stage.

Annabelle watched the performance in boredom; this was never her favorite part of the movie or musical. Then, when Christine started singing Think of Me, Annabelle forgot of one very important factor flawed in her plan. Raoul. And sure enough, she looked across the stage and saw him standing over the rail looking at Christine.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." She said while shaking her head.

Erik looked over at her confused.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I forgot about something very important. Don't worry about it, I'll handle it." She said, waving her hand in dismissal manner.

As soon as Christine's solo was over, Annabelle saw Erik stand up and applaud. She noticed Raoul was still in his box.

"Erik, I'll meet you in the organ room. I have to take care of something real quick." She said.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" He asked.

"Fixing the thing I forgot." She said.

She then got up out of her chair and left the box to go take care of Raoul. She walked as fast as she could in the heels she was wearing. She was hoping she could distract Raoul while Erik took Christine to his home. She found Christine's room and stood by the door and waited for Raoul. She stood there for a couple minutes until she saw the new managers with their dates and Raoul in the front. She quickly hid her face so that the managers wouldn't notice her. Once the managers left him, she quietly walked up to Raoul.

" _Vicomte_ de Changy?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes _mademoiselle_? May I help you?" He asked.

"I am here to take you to Ms. Daae." She said.

"I thought she was in her dressing room. Here." He stated.

"She moved _monsieur_. They put her in a different room so that the press and admirers wouldn't find her and bother her. Come, follow me." She said.

She then walked down the hall to a room that wasn't occupied. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. She also saw a chair nearby to block the door.

"She's in here. She's waiting for you." She said.

She then opened the door for him, and let him walk in. Once he was inside the room, she quickly closed the door and put the chair in front of it. She then started running to Christine's room hoping Erik had taken her by the time she got there. Once she reached Christine's dressing room, she opened the door and she was pleased to find that it was empty and dark.

"Today must be my lucky day." Annabelle said relieved.

She then went to Christine's mirror and found the secret latch. She opened the mirror and stepped inside it and closed it behind her and locked it. Annabelle started walking along the path until she saw the spiral staircase going downward. She started traveling down the stairs until she came to a path going right. It was a ramp that also went down; Annabelle wasn't surprised since Erik's home was deep below the Opera House. She then went down the ramp until the path became flat again and then she took the path until she saw the lake. She was going to take the path that went around the lake until she saw a black horse tied against the wall.

"Really Erik? You're going to keep the poor horse away from water and hay? With the saddle and bit still in his mouth? I'm going to have a bone to pick with you when you're done with Christine." She growled

She walked over to horse and reached out her hand so that the horse could sniff her. She's always been good with horses, heck it was her profession. Once the horse became familiar with her, she untied it and led it to its stall that was near the stairs. She took off it's saddle, saddle pad, and headstall. She then put on its halter and led it into its stall. To her disappointment, his water was almost empty and he had no hay to keep him occupied. She took off its halter, left the stall, closed the stall door, and put the halter on its desired hook. She grabbed a near by water bucket and went to the lake. She dipped the bucket into the water and walked back over to the stall to fill up the water trough. She did this around 5 times until she was satisfied with his water amount. She then looked around for some hay until she found a bale near by. She grabbed a couple of flakes and threw them into his stall. The horse looked back at her and with a simple look, telling her thanks.

"Hope this suits you. I'll make sure and have a chat with your owner." She said to the horse.

She then continued her journey to the lair until the path she was following led to the organ room.

"Thank God! Finally! Now I can take off these damn heels." She said in contentment.

She slid the shoes off her feet and found Erik in mid song of Music of the Night. Not wanting to disturb them, she picked up her shoes and sat on the couch near the organ, waiting until they were done. Only 2 minutes later, she saw him carry Christine's unconscious body towards the swan room.

"What a drama queen." Annabelle scoffed.

Erik soon emerged from the swan room and rushed over to Annabelle pulling her off of the couch and he put his hand around her throat and started squeezing. He was so strong that her feet were barely touching the ground.

"Where did you go?" He growled.

Annabelle, quickly getting pissed, due to her short temper, kicked Erik where the sun didn't shine. Erik then let go and bent over in pain.

"You're going to pay for that." He growled again.

He looked up started walking towards her, thinking he could easily take her down. Oh, how he was wrong. Once he got over to her, he extended his arm back to punch her. Once he swung, she ducked and then got back up and caught his arm. She then pulled him towards her and kneed him in the gut and then punched him in the face. He fell to the floor and she quickly climbed on top of him to restrain him.

"You want to know where I was? Huh? I was busy taking care of a future problem that could ruin you. So before you go and make assumptions, ask me nicely first. I told you, grab me like that again and I will not hesitate to clock you in the face. I've been beat up before; I will not have it happen again. Not by you or anyone else. Got that?" She growled back.

She quickly got off of him and walked a few steps away from him. Erik then got up and dusted himself off. She noticed his mask was on the ground, she didn't even realize he didn't have it on when she wrestled him to the ground. She was so used to the infamous opera ghost face, that it really didn't bother her. She picked up the mask and handed it to him.

"Here. Must a have fallen off when I hit you." She said.

Erik, quickly realizing that his mask did indeed fall off of his face, took the mask from her hands. He then looked at her and saw that she had her hands on her hips and an angry look on her face.

"H-How could you have looked at me with my God awful face?" He asked in amazement.

She sighed in frustration and started rubbing her temples.

"Look, I told you. I'm from the future and I have seen so many versions of your face. I didn't mind any of them. From where I come from, people actually find your face attractive. Believe or not. Although your temperament isn't." She growled

She then started walking to the swan room to gather her clothes and go into the library. She was still fuming from what happened. Halfway to the swan room, she quickly remembered something. She then turned around and looked at him.

"Remember to pay attention to your surroundings. Don't let her take your mask off."

She then continued walking to the swan room and grabbed her clothes and headed to the library to cool her temper.

 **That's it for Chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed it, I have never enjoyed writing a fanfic this much! Chapter 4 is up next! What will happen when Christine wakes up? What happened to Raoul? All will be answered in the next chapter! Until next time!**

 **-S**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's Chapter 4! I hope the story has been good so far! We haven't even gotten into the juicy stuff yet and I'm already hooked on my own story ;D *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

Once Annabelle made it to the library, she quickly changed out of her gown and slipped into her jeans, t-shirt, and socks. She then pulled out a book from one of the bookshelves, curled up on the couch, and started reading. She got the book The Prince and the Pauper. She also got her phone out and started listening to music. Normally whenever she's pissed off, she listens to girly goth to calm her down. She didn't know how long she sat there reading. But she soon finished the book and put it back where it belonged. She put her phone and earphones on a nearby table and grabbed a blanket. She then laid down on the couch and went to sleep. She didn't know how long she slept, but she awoke to voices from the main room. She detangled herself from the blanket and went to go investigate. She walked in the main room and saw a dark skinned man talking to Erik. The man seemed frustrated with Erik and it looked like he was trying to tell him something.

"No Nadir, I did not kidnap her. She was simply entranced with my voice and chose to come with me." Erik said, trying to convince the man named Nadir.

 _So the Persian is also in this story? What kind of Phantom universe am I in?_ Annabelle thought.

"Erik, if you go down this path it will only end in heartbreak and betrayal. I do not wish to see you go through that." Nadir said.

"Christine will love me. She will be mine and we will be together." He said determined.

Annabelle didn't realize she was walking closer and she accidently stepped on a crumpled piece of sheet music. She then cursed at herself inwardly and both Erik and Nadir's heads snapped towards her.

"Dear God Erik! You kidnapped another girl?!" Nadir exclaimed.

"No, I would actually prefer if she wasn't here. She somehow landed in my home and she has nowhere to go. I can't get her to leave actually." Erik said defeated.

"Well that makes the two of us. Asshole." She replied back.

Annabelle then walked up to Nadir and held out her hand so he could shake it.

"Annabelle Fowler, nice to meet you." She said.

Nadir shook her hand.

"Nadir Khan, nice to meet you as well." He said. "Tell me, did he try kill you when you first met him?" He asked, intrigued that this girl mysteriously landed in his home and wasn't dead already.

"He's tried twice. The first time I counterattacked and wrestled him to the ground. The second time, my fist met his face. That's where that slight bruise comes from on his face. As well as the bruise marks on my neck from when he tried to strangle me for answers." She said, staring daggers into Erik's head.

" _Mon dieu_. You're quite a force to be reckoned with. Where are you from?" Nadir asked.

"America. Texas to be exact." She replied.

"So that's where that accent is from." Nadir observed.

All three then fell into silence. Erik decided that Nadir's visit should come to an end, as he anticipated Christine's awakening.

"Well Nadir, as much as I love you being here. I'm afraid I have some business to attend to. I'll talk to you again my friend." Erik said reaching out his hand.

Nadir shook his friend's hand.

"Remember what I said." Nadir said. He then let go of Erik's hand and looked at Annabelle. "It was nice to meet you _mademoiselle_." Nadir then started walking away when he stopped and turned around to face Erik.

"I wouldn't try to kill her Erik." He said pointing at Erik. "She seems like she could be useful for you to keep around. Might actually talk some sense into you. Or at least knock it into your thick skull." Nadir said and then turned around and left.

Annabelle stood there with her hands on her hips waiting for an apology. After a few moments when she realized she wasn't going to get one. She spoke up.

"Since I'm clearly not getting an apology, mind telling me where the food is? Girls still gotta eat." She said.

"There's a food cabinet in the room to your right in front of the library." He said quietly.

She nodded and then started walking to the food cabinet. She stopped and looked back at Erik with a look of disappointment on her face.

"I didn't have to help you, you know? I choose to, because I'm tired of how this story ends every time. I could have easily let you kill me both times you tried to. I didn't because I wanted to help the man who clearly deserves the girl. But I'm not sure if I'm helping the right man. Think about it and come back to me." She said looking straight into his eyes. After she spoke, she continued to walk to where the food was.

Annabelle walked into the room where the food was and grabbed some bread to eat. She ate the bread for a little while until she was satisfied. She walked back over to the library and looked at the clock that was in the room. The time was 12:00 pm. She decided to read a little more. She grabbed the book "Beauty and the Beast" until she read about horses. She came to sudden realization about her horses at home and started balling. She couldn't think of how to get home or how they were going to be taken care of. She missed them so much. They were the only ones that listened to her and seemed to take care of her. She didn't realize Erik had come in and was standing by the doorway. She looked up and saw the he was leaning against the doorframe with a confused look on his face. She aggressively wiped the tears from her face and stood up.

"Sorry. *clears throat* What do you need?" She asked. She realized that her eyes were probably still puffy and red, so she tried to hide her face from him. She wrapped her arms around her body in a protective manner.

"I came to apologize for my actions last night. They were uncalled for and very inappropriate. I appreciate you being here and helping me." Erik said while rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. It was clear that he hasn't apologized to many people before.

"Apology accepted. And I guess I apologize for hitting you in the face, kneeing you in the gut, and you know. Kicking you." She said sheepishly.

"I deserved what I received from you. Are you, um, ok? I came in and you were crying." He said.

"I'm fine. Just something at home that I was thinking about." She said.

"What were you thinking about? If I may ask." He asked.

"Where I come from, my profession has to do with horses. I am a horse trainer to make it simple. I have 3 personal horses at home who are near and dear to my heart. They have been there for me when people couldn't. And I made the sudden realization that I don't know how they're being cared for, if they're being cared for at all. The thought of them dying is heartbreaking." She simply stated.

"Well, my thoughts and condolences are with you. Do you need anything?" He asked.

"No thank you, I am good at the moment. Has Christine woken up yet?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not. She had an exhausting performance last night and the week leading up to it. She is simply catching up on her much needed sleep." He stated.

"Well, good to hear. Thank you for the apology." She said.

He simply nodded and walked out of the room.

She continued her reading for another 2 hours until she heard some thing falling from the organ room followed by Erik yelling. She quickly dropped the book and ran towards the organ room. She stopped abruptly when she saw Christine on the floor, her eyes wide full of fear. There beside her was his mask on the ground. She then saw Erik curled up on the ground trying to cover his face. She quickly ran over to him and kneeled in front of him.

"Are you ok? Stay here and try to calm down." She said.

She then looked over at his mask on the ground near Christine and picked it up. She then walked back over to Erik and gave it to him. He took it from her and put it on. He then got up and started walking towards Christine. She quickly got up and stood in front of him holding him back.

"Control your temper. Breathe. She's just a stupid girl who's curiosity got the best of her. Calm down. She is only 16, it's logical that she would be curious. I can escort her back if you would like." She said trying to calm him down.

She could tell he was contemplating on what to do. He looked at her and nodded.

"Ok. I'll be back. Please calm down, and we can talk about it when I come back." She said.

She walked over to Christine and motioned her to follow her. She and Christine took the boat and they started the trek to Christine's dressing room. As they were walking, Annabelle spoke up.

"My name is Annabelle Fowler, in case you were wondering." She said.

"My name is Christine Da-"

"I know who you are _mademoiselle_ Daae." She interrupted.

"Oh." She replied.

"What I would like to know Christine is what prompted you to take off his mask?" She asked in a challenging manner.

"I do not know. I was simply curious."

"Have you ever heard the term, curiosity killed the cat?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Well that explains a lot doesn't it?" She said.

"Excuse me?"

"A man like that who is secretive, dominant, and insecure, does not want his only source of comfort ripped off his face." She growled.

"Well, he doesn't seem insecure." Christine said, defending her actions.

"That is because you're a naïve and stupid girl." She retorted back.

Christine stayed quiet until they reached her mirror in her dressing room.

"Here we are Ms. Daae. This is where we part ways. Until we meet again." Annabelle said.

She then opened the mirror and Christine walked through. Annabelle closed the mirror behind Christine and locked it. She stood there long enough until she saw Madame Giry and Meg Giry walk through the door and embrace her and rush her out of the room. Pleased with her work, Annabelle walked back down to Erik's home. Halfway down to Erik's lair, she decided to stop by the black horse's stall to check on him. She mentally kicked herself because she forgot to confront Erik about it. She walked over the black horse's stall and checked on it's food and water. It's water was running a little low and was out of hay. She quickly got it more water and hay and then went back on her trek to Erik's house. Once she made it back, she saw Erik bent over his desk writing something. She walked over to him carefully and pulled a chair next to him. She put the chair facing him and sat down. She kept her hands in her lap and looked down until she knew what to say. Erik didn't seem to notice her presence and kept writing.

"Are you ok?" She asked. She then touched him on the arm as a way to show comfort.

Shocked by her touch, he flinched. He then looked at her and then looked back at his letter and started writing.

"I'll be fine once I get this letter delivered." He said in a dismissive manner. Hoping she wouldn't ask again.

"I saw the way you cowered against her and tried to cover your face. I saw her eyes wide with fear. What happened?" She asked, trying to get him to give her some answers.

"I didn't know she had woken up, and I was composing. She touched my face in a seductive manner and I leaned into her touch. She started feeling around my mask and before I could grab her hand, she ripped my mask off. I pushed her away with so much force that I didn't realize I had nearly pushed her halfway across the room." He said still focusing on his letter.

"Yikes. Not used to woman's touch huh?" She said with a smirk.

Erik glared at her.

"Ok. Ok." She said putting her hands up in a surrendering motion. "Too early?" She asked.

He glared at her again.

"Ok, I'm done. So I'm guessing she's scared of you now?" She asked.

"You should have seen her face. It was of pure terror. Once I get her the lead role of the next opera, she will realize that I'm doing what is best for her. Then she will see past my face and love me." He said.

She sighed. She knew all too well what was going to happen. She was determined to get him his happily ever after. Even if it killed her. He then looked at her and stopped writing. She looked into his eyes with determination.

"Ok, what do we need to do?" She asked.

 **That is it for Chapter 4! Sorry that I didn't mention Raoul, I had too many ideas for this chapter and Raoul wasn't really in any of them. I promise that he will be in the next chapter! If you're wondering, he did get out of the room Annabelle looked him in ;) Until next time!**

 **-S**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5! This is the LAST chapter I have prewritten for this story. The rest of the chapters will be written as time goes on. I have another story that has been put on the back burner so that this one could get started and I wouldn't have to worry about it. I also hope everyone's holiday was well! I got the original Phantom of the Opera book by Gaston Leroux for Christmas. I haven't read it in a while and I'm so in love! *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. That's all for now, on with the chapter!**

 _Previously on The Phantom and the Texan._

 _She was determined to get him his happily ever after. Even if it killed her. He then looked at her and stopped writing. She looked into his eyes with determination. "Ok, what do we need to do?" She asked._

Erik was taken back at her suddenness but quickly recovered.

"First I need to finish this letter to give to the managers about Christine. They are starting the production of II Muto and I want Christine as the lead instead of that God-awful woman. Then we shall see what else we need to do." He replied.

"Do you think Christine will tell others about me being here? I kind of said something's that probably shouldn't have been said." She said avoiding his gaze.

"And what kind of things DID you say?" He said now facing her with his arms crossed above his chest.

"Oh nothing too bad, I promise you. I just may have called her stupid and naïve." She said looking everywhere around room except him.

Erik scoffed in amusement and then went back to his letter.

"With your mouth, I figured you would have said something worse." He said.

"Really? Is it that bad?" She asked in amusement and confusion.

"It's worse than you think it is. But it is quite refreshing. I get tired of the proper etiquette that woman in this time use." He said.

"Hmm. Good know. Anyways, do you need anything? I'm going to make some soup or something." She asked.

"No thank you. Help yourself." He said.

She then nodded and went off to make herself something to eat. She had to admit. After almost being killed by him twice, he was actually very tender and kind when he can be. She went into the food cabinet and was quite surprised to find a stove there that she had never seen before.

"Wow, I must be blind." She said to herself.

She then got out the supplies she needed to make soup and she started cooking. It took her a good hour to actually make the soup. Once she was finished, she put the soup in 2 bowls and went out to the organ room. She walked up to the desk that Erik was using and she found that he was gone.

"He must be delivering that letter. I'll just leave it here." She said to herself.

She then put his bowl of soup on his desk and she went back to the food cabinet and sat down at the table in the room. She ate in silence until she was finished. After she was finished she decided to go back to the library and finish Beauty and the Beast. Shortly after starting her book she heard loud thumping and objects falling. Once again she got up and ran to the organ room to investigate. She knew what was coming and she knew he would be pissed. She walked into the organ room to see dozens of candelabras on ground and him pacing around with him clenching and unclenching his fists. She slowly made her way toward him, not wanting to draw attention to her. Again. Once she felt she was close enough, she stopped

"I guess things didn't go well?" She asked quietly.

"Those damn fools! They ignored me and put that toad as the lead instead of my beautiful Christine! They dare ignore me? I'll show them a disaster beyond their imagination!" He yelled.

He then knocked down a music stand and candelabra with so much force that it flew across the room and landed at her feet. She noticeably flinched and took a step back. She didn't want to act or look scared but she was terrified and she couldn't hide it. He looked straight at her and immediately regretted his actions. He took a step towards her to show that he was calm but she took a step back not realizing there were stairs behind her.

"ANNABELLE!" He yelled running forward to try and catch her, but he was too late.

She fell down the short flight of stairs behind her and hit her head on the ground and twisted her ankle. Erik quickly ran down the stairs to her side. He saw her sitting up with one hand cradling her head and one holding her ankle.

"Shit!" She exclaimed. She then pulled back her hand and saw blood smeared all over hand. "Well isn't that just fucking great?!" She yelled forgetting Erik was near her.

Erik crouched down and reached out but quickly took his hand back worried he will frighten her more.

"Annabelle are you alright?" He asked with concern written all over his face.

"Well, my head is probably going to need stitches, I now have a pounding headache, and my ankle hurts like a bitch. So yeah, I'm just peachy." She said sarcastically while rolling her eyes.

He stared at her in amazement over the words that came out of her mouth. Never had he heard anyone curse like that. Even he didn't curse that much.

"Will you stop looking at me you big buffoon and stitch me up?" She said looking at him.

"Yes, yes of course. Can you walk to the library?" He asked now standing up.

"Let me see." She said.

Annabelle got up too quickly and before she knew it her head was spinning and when she tried to balance herself she put too much weight on her hurt ankle and started to fall over until Erik caught her from behind.

"Well that didn't quite work out well. How bout I lean on you and walk?" She suggested.

Without any warning, he picked her up bridal style and headed to the library. Looking straight forward not daring to look down at her face.

"I mean, this works too." She said.

He smirked at her comment and kept walking.

"I guess this is what they mean by working smarter not harder." She observed.

He gave no reaction and soon enough he reached the library and put her on the couch. He made sure she was settled and left the room to get medical supplies. She sat in silence looking around the room entertaining her. Erik soon came in with an armful of medical supplies. He put all the medical supplies on the small table next the couch and pulled it towards him. He sat on the couch next to her and turned towards her.

"Please turn around to I can asses your injures." He said.

She turned around so that her back was facing him.

Erik gently cradled her head in his hands and moved her hair around to find the cut. Annabelle instinctively leaned into his touch. He tried to not notice and blamed it on her head. Once he found the cut he inspected it.

"Well the good news is that your injury is not life threatening but it does need stitches." He said. He leaned over and grabbed some alcohol, a needle, thread, a bowl, and some cloth to clean injury.

Without warning he dipped some cloth into the alcohol and applied it to the wound to sterilize it. To his surprise, she didn't flinch.

"You have surprised me once again Annabelle." He said, now starting to get the needle and thread ready.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"You didn't flinch once when I cleaned the wound with alcohol nor did you scream out." He said.

"I've been through many head injuries in my time. I knew it was coming." She simply stated.

"How did these head injuries come to be? If I may ask." He asked.

"My dad, school fights, horses, and simply my clumsy self. Like tonight." She said.

"Interesting. I'm about to start the stitching process, do you need anything." He asked.

"Yeah. You got any vodka? Whiskey? Tequila? Normally some alcohol numbs the pain, since I know you wont have any pain killers." She said.

"I have some whiskey. I'll get it for you." He said, and then he walked out of the room.

He quickly came back with a short glass full of whiskey in one hand and the bottle in another. He put it on the table next to her.

"I figure you would drink it straight from the bottle but I went ahead and put some in a glass just in case."

She grabbed the glass and took a swig.

"Come on, I have some class." She scoffed.

"I would have never known." He smirked.

"Yeah, you and everyone else" She said.

He then put the needle through the skin and started stitching. He was impressed with her bravery; she only flinched when he inserted the needle.

"I would like to apologize for my actions tonight. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm surprised you didn't run away screaming." He said.

"Yeah, and leave your helpless self to win over Christine? No way, we had a deal and I'm sticking to it. You're forgiven. I guess I just reacted like I did when my dad did stuff like that." She admitted.

"Thank you. You seem to take care of yourself quite a bit I noticed." He said.

"When my dad would come home drunk, throwing things around, and hitting my mom, you have no choice but to take care of yourself. I learned how to cook, clean, and learn actual academics. I couldn't rely on my mom, my dad, or anyone else in this damn world." She said taking another swig of whiskey.

"I see. So is there anyone that you absolutely trust?" He asked curious.

"Yeah." She scoffed. "My horses. They can't tell a soul nor can they stab my back." She said.

"You really trust no one, do you?" He said.

"Do you?" She replied.

"Point taken." He said.

He then finished the stitches and cleaned the wound a little more.

"Face me please." He said.

She turned around to face him very slowly not to get herself dizzy. Erik motioned her to scoot towards him. She slowly scooted towards him and stopped when their knees started touching. He leaned forward and cradled her face in his hands and opened her eyes so he could observe them. He had never touched another human like he did with her. He secretly loved it. Her warm soft skin against his rough musician hands made him crave it more. He leaned in to look into her eyes.

"No signs of a concussion. So you're clear to go to bed when you please. Now bring your foot towards me." He said.

Annabelle slowly put her foot in his lap and scooted backwards so that her long legs could fit on the couch. Erik carefully took her foot in his hands and lightly touching around her ankle. He squeezed around her ankle and she hissed and grabbed the couch harshly. He smirked and took his hand away.

"And I thought pain wouldn't phase you." He said.

"I've had multiple head injuries, not foot related injuries. Completely new to me." She said.

"Well, no broken bones. Just a little swollen. It will probably be sore in the next few days and bruise pretty badly. I'm going to wrap the ankle to stabilize it a little bit to give you some sort of comfort." He said.

"Thanks doc." She said.

He wrapped her foot and then placed it gently on the floor.

"I recommend you get some rest. Sleep should do you some good." He said.

"Not arguing with you there." She said tired.

"Can you walk to your room?" He asked.

"Probably." She said.

She then got up very slowly, not making the same mistake as she did before. Luckily she didn't get dizzy and then she took a step forward. The whiskey she had made the pain bearable on her foot.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" He asked.

"Yes I'm fine. Walking should do me good. Goodnight Erik. Get some rest will ya?" She said with a smirk.

"Good night Annabelle." He said.

Annabelle slowly started limping towards her room. Once inside her room she quickly climbed into bed and slipped under the silk covers and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 **That is it for Chapter 5! As I said before, this is the last chapter I have prewritten, because I have another fanfiction I need to catch up with. So I don't know when the next one will be out. Thank you guys! Remember to follow, favorite, and review! Until next time!**

 **-S**

 **Future me typing! Chapter 6-10 are already prewritten and ready to be released. So it's just a matter of the amount of reviews I get and when I get the chance to upload them and release them.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope you're all enjoying the series so far! Looks like Erik and Annabelle had a moment ;) Also looks Annabelle may have someone to trust after all. Maybe Annabelle wont have to be so self reliant anymore. Only time will tell… *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

 **Future me typing again- so I decided to be generous and give you guys a chapter today instead of tomorrow. I normally wait 7 days to release a new chapter and I wait until I finish another chapter. Since chapter 11 is almost finished and it has been 6 days I decided why not. So here is Chapter 6! Enjoy!**

 ** _Erik – Bold and italic_**

 _Carlotta- Italic_

 _Chorus- Underlined and italic_

 **Christine- Bold and underlined**

It had been a week since Annabelle fell down the stairs. The incident seemed to have brought Erik and Annabelle closer together. He helped her walk and clean her wound and she helped him plot what to do to La Carlotta during the performance. Both were in a much lighter mood with each other and came to a mutual understanding with one another. It was the night of the performance and they seemed to have planned their night perfectly. Erik would switch out Carlotta's throat spray and Annabelle would make sure that Erik wouldn't kill Buquet. As much as she loved him killing that disgusting man, she knew it traumatized Christine. She didn't tell Erik this part of her plan because she knew he would lock her in a room. Annabelle was walking around with a small limp now, the swelling in her ankle had gone down and the only bruising left on her ankle was a yellow green color. Erik had given her the all clear to attend the performance with him although Erik wasn't actually going to be there. He told her that he would be "monitoring" backstage and to make sure everything went smoothly. Annabelle told Erik that she would stay in his home until the performance was over. What she was really going to do was stay in the rafters and watch for Buquet and Erik. The time was 6:30 and Erik was about to leave but he wanted to make sure Annabelle was ok staying in for the night. He walked into the library to find Annabelle tucked into the couch reading Cinderella. He stopped by the door way.

"Are you sure you do not want to go to the performance tonight?" He asked.

"I'm fine staying here Erik. You go on ahead. Let me know how it goes when you go back." She said smiling at him warmly.

"Ok, as you wish. I'll be back in a few hours." Erik said and then left the library.

Once Annabelle heard the boat leave, she quickly got off of the couch and ran to the organ room. She then took the passage that goes around the lake. Annabelle ran as fast as she could while limping to get backstage. Once she was there it was already 7:10, she knew she didn't have much time until La Carlotta croaked. She quickly ran up the stairs to the rafters. Annabelle stayed to the side of the rafters to keep from being seen by Buquet. She soon heard Carlotta's screeching.

 _"Poor fool he makes me laugh! Haha haha ha! Time I tried to get a better better half!"_

 _"_ _Poor fool, he doesn't know! Hoho hoho ho! If he knew the truth, he'd never, ever go!_ "

 _"_ _ **Did I not instruct that Box 5 was to be kept empty?!"**_

 ** _"_** **He's here, the Phantom of the Opera. It's him I know it. It's him.** _"_

 _"You're part is silent, little toad!"_

 _"_ _ **A toad madame? Perhaps it is you who are the toad."**_

Carlotta then smirked in defiance.

" _Serafimo, away with this pretense! You cannot speak, but kiss me in my CO-AK._ "

Erik' then started slowly and quietly laughing in a taunting manner. She then saw Carlotta with a terrified look.

" _Poor fool he makes me laugh. Haha haha ha! Ha – CO-AK! Ha- CO-AK! CO-AK!_ "

Erik then started laughing uncontrollably.

" ** _Behold! She's singing to bring down, the chandelier!"_**

Carolotta then ran off the stage screaming and Erik's laugh slowly died down to nothing. She saw the managers quickly run out announcing that Christine would be the lead and that they were going to perform the ballet from Act 3. The ballerinas then rushed out with the props and their costumes and started performing the ballet. Annabelle then started walking among the rafters to keep an eye out for Erik and Buquet. She saw no sign of Buquet nor Erik. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and shoved on to the ground. A heavy figure then climbed on top of her and pinned her down. She looked straight forward and saw that it was a drunk Buquet. She quickly tried to kick him but he pinned her legs down as well. She tried to shake him off but he was too big that it didn't work.

"Ah _mademoiselle_. Why such a fine lady up in here rafters? Working for the phantom I suspect?" He said.

Annabelle kept a straight face. She knew he would make a mistake somehow and she would get him off of her.

"No _monsieur_. I come on my own terms." She spat.

"You lie! Why would the phantom have such a fine lady working for him anyway?" He said with lust in his eyes.

"I no nothing of a phantom you speak of." She said.

Annabelle still struggled against his large frame, but he didn't budge.

"Tell me, is such a lady as yourself, pure?"

Her face then paled. She became very frightened and started shaking uncontrollably.

"No, dear God! Please don't!" She yelled, shaking more violently in a desperate attempt to get him off of her.

"We shall have to see." He smirked.

He then started working on her pants to get them off of her.

"Get off of me! Get off!" She screamed, still tossing and turning trying to slow down his efforts.

"Not again! Get off of me!" She yelled again. Then like some switch, her mind seemed to switch back to an old memory.

"Please daddy! You're hurting me! Please get off of me!" She yelled.

Buquet looked at her in confusion and hesitated. Erik then came up behind him and put the lasso around his neck and started pulling. Buquet reacted quick and elbowed him the gut, Erik grunted and accidently gave the lasso some slack. It was enough slack for Buquet to come at him again. He knocked Erik to the ground and started moving towards Annabelle. Annabelle was curled up in a ball rocking herself back and forth. She then saw Buquet towards her and she quickly moved out of the way and he went stumbling towards the edge. He then turned around and started coming towards her again and she kicked him back, causing him to fall over the edge. The lasso got caught on the railing and his lifeless body strung from the rafters above the ballet. She heard blood hurdling screams and she herself sat by the railing clutching to it for dear life, looking at Buquet's hung body.

"Oh dear God. What have I done? Oh my God!" She screamed putting her hands on her ears to try and block out the screaming around her but it seemed to make it louder. She started crying and rocking herself back and forth with now one hand on her mouth.

Erik came running towards her and he knelt down beside her. He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. Annabelle dared not to look into his eyes as she was scared and ashamed at she had done.

"Annabelle. Annabelle look at me. Please look at me _mon belle_." He pleaded.

She slowly looked at Erik's pleading eyes, still crying.

"Erik, what have I done?" She asked with her eyes full of sorrow.

Erik's heart seemed to have broken into a thousand pieces at that simple question.

"It will be ok Annabelle. But we have to go. They will come to take his body." He said.

Erik then took Annabelle's body and carried her to the roof to get away from the stagehands coming to take Buquet's body. Once they reached the roof, he then placed her on the ground and knelt in front of her. He took her face in his hands and assessed her body for injuries. He then slowly looked at her.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"No. He did not." She said, still shaking from the experience.

"Annabelle, before I grabbed Buquet off of you. You said something about your father. It was like your body was there but your mind wasn't. What really happened between you and your father?" He asked, with a tear threatening to escape his eye.

Annabelle looked off into the distance as if she was replaying the memory in her head.

"I was 8 at the time. I had just finished cleaning up the dishes from dinner and I had made my way to bed. I turned off the light and climbed into bed and had fallen asleep. It may have been 2 in the morning and I heard the door creep open. Someone had sat down at the end of my bed. I sat up and looked at the end of my bed. It was my father and he was looking at me. He was drunk, like he always was. And he started caressing my face. He told me that he loved me and that he wanted to show his love to me after all these years. And he – he." Annabelle couldn't continue as she broke down in tears against Erik's chest.

Erik then grabbed Annabelle and pulled her closer to him. He held her and started petting her head in a comforting manner. He had to contain his anger and disgust towards her father as he continued to comfort her. Her sobs became violent as he saw her back rise up and down rapidly. He continued to comfort her until her sobs became small sniffles. Her head then moved sideways to where her left ear on was his chest. She then pulled back to look at his face.

"I killed someone tonight. Erik, I actually took someone's own life. How can I live myself? The whole point of me going up there was to protect him and I ended up killing him. What am I going to do?" She asked, new tears streaming down her face.

Erik gently wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"That was to no fault of your own. You were protecting yourself and he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted." He said.

Erik then heard loud footsteps coming towards the roof door. He quickly picked up Annabelle again and he moved behind one of the statues. Annabelle was still softly crying. He put his pointer finger in front of his mouth and made a shushing motion to get her to quiet down. Erik then noticed that she was shaking and he just noticed that it was snowing. He quickly moved towards her and wrapped his cape around her to keep her warm. Both Erik and Annabelle heard the door open followed by 2 sets of footsteps.

" _There is no Phantom of the Opera."_

 _"_ _Raoul, I've been there, to his world of unending night, to a world where the daylight dissolves into darkness. Darkness. Raoul, I've seen him. Can I ever forget that sight? Can I ever escape that face, so distorted, deformed; it was hardly a face in the darkness. Darkness. But his voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet song. In that night there was music in my mind. And through music, my soul began to soar. And I heard as I'd never heard before."_

 _"What you heard was a dream and nothing more."_

 _"_ _Yet in his eyes, all the sadness of the world. Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore."_

 _"Christine. Christine."_

 ** _"Christine."_**

Erik sang back to her. Annabelle looked into his eyes to see his eyes full of sadness and disappointment.

 _"What was that?!"_

Christine then bent down on the ground and put her hands to her face and started crying.

" _Christine."_

Raoul then bent down and picked Christine back up. The two then sang All I Ask of You and revealed their love for each other.

" _I must go. They'll wonder where I am. Wait for me Raoul!"_

 _"Christine I love you."_

 _Order your fine horses. Be with them at the door."_

 _"And soon you'll be beside me."_

 _"You'll guard me and you'll guide me."_

The two then went back through the door and back to the performance. Annabelle looked at Erik who was now standing up with tears in his eyes. He started walking away and Annabelle tried to reach for him but he was already too far. She looked behind the statue to see Erik in the middle of the roof crouching down.

 ** _"I gave you my music. Made your song take wing. And now, how you've betrayed me. Denied me and betrayed me. He was bound to love you, when he heard you sing."_**

He then started heavily weeping.

 ** _"Christine."_**

 _"Say you'll share with me, one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you. Share each day with me, each night, each morning."_

Christine and Raoul sang in the background. Erik quickly put his hands over his ears to try and block out Christine and Raoul. Erik then stood up and walked towards the edge of the roof. Annabelle was worried he might fall off the roof so she quietly and slowly stayed behind him to make sure. She couldn't move very fast since Buquet reinjured her ankle when he knocked her down.

 ** _"You will curse the day you did not do. All that the Phantom asked of you!"_**

Erik screamed into the sky. He then turned around abruptly and almost ran right over Annabelle. Annbelle stumbled back but made a hissing sound because she landed on her injured foot wrong. He then looked at her in concern.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I think the better question to ask is, are YOU ok?" She asked.

"I am better. She will come back to her angel soon enough. Did you reinjure your foot?" He asked.

"More like Buquet. When he pushed me down, I twisted it. It didn't hurt until 5 minutes ago, I guess since the adrenaline died down." She simply said.

"Are you ok to walk?"

"I think so, I just have a small limp." She said.

"Come, I have something I must do." He said.

He started walking to the door and once he got there he opened it up for Annabelle. When he looked behind him, he saw that she was slowly limping trying to keep up with him. He quickly strode over to her and once again gathered her in his arms and carried her bridal style. He didn't have to go very far to reach his destination. The pair reached the room that held the chandelier.

"Erik, what are you doing?"

"Giving them a little "surprise" for not following my orders." He simply stated.

"Erik." She said.

"What?" He growled, knowing she was going to advise against.

"At least let me help you." She said with a smirk.

 **So I accidently made chapter 6 huge… like 3,000 words huge. So I split it up into 2 chapters. Hopefully I didn't leave you in a cliffhanger! Any way, see you in the next one!**

 **-S**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's chapter 7! Not much to say except *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. Now on with the story!**

He stared at this woman in amazement. Not only had she gone through multiple traumatizing events in the past week but she was also injured. Yet she still wanted to help him. He then smirked back at her.

"Come over here next to me." He said.

Annabelle then limped over next to Erik. He then gave her a rope.

"When I say let go, let go. Not a moment sooner or later. Once you have let go, we will need to hurry and get out of here. I will carry you since you cannot run. Ok?"

"Ok, let go of the rope when you say let go. Got it." She said confidently.

Erik then went on to cutting ropes, untying chains, and undoing several knots. He then looked through the cracks below him, he saw that Christine came out with the rest of the cast and they started bowing.

"Let go!" Erik yelled.

Annabelle let go as soon as she heard him tell her. He then ran over to her and picked her up. He then started running towards another secret passage to his underground home. She could tell they were getting closer to the lake when suddenly she remembered something.

"Wait. Erik!" She said.

Erik then stopped and looked down at her.

"What?" Erik asked.

"Take me to the horse, I need to check on him since _someone_ hasn't been." She said.

"I see." Erik said.

He then walked over to where the black horse's stall was and put Annabelle down. Annabelle then walked over to the door and saw that there was little water and no more hay. She then turned around to Erik with her arms crossed.

"You do know that horses need feed and water to live right?" She asked.

"Yes-" He started but Annabelle interrupted him.

"Also, why was he tied up with a bit still in his mouth with his saddle still on?" She asked as well.

"I simply forget Annabelle. I am grateful that you found him and have taken care of him." He said.

"Him?" She asked.

"Yes, a black stallion. I call him Caesar." He said proud of his companion.

"A stud? I see, a very powerful name for a powerful horse. How are his manners?" She asked.

"He is well disciplined. I found him as a colt, the stable hands were about to kill him because they had no use for another horse. So I took him in and raised him, broke him, and disciplined him." Erik said.

"I must say he grew up well. Now hurry and get him some water and more hay." She said clapping her hands.

Erik then got a nearby bucket and started filling up the water trough. Annabelle decided to show him some mercy and put the hay into the stall. Once Erik got Caesar enough water the pair then made it back to Erik's home.

"Back to the library Annabelle, I need to fix your foot. Again." Erik said.

"Ok, make sure you get me some whiskey please." Annabelle said softly, and then she headed to the library. She sat at the end of the couch with her injured foot laid across the couch. Erik then came back 2 minutes later with wraps and a glass of whiskey. He put it on the table and handed Annabelle her glass. Annabelle then took a quick swig and drank all of what was in the glass. Erik then sat down at the end of couch and took her foot. He then began squeezing again to check for any broken bones and to see how much of her ankle had swelled up. He then heard Annabelle hiss in pain when he squeezed a little below the ankle.

"You seem to get better at handling pain every time it happens." Erik said.

"I actually have a really low pain tolerance. I think I'm just so used to it that I just block it out of my head." She said.

"Looks like you just injured it at the same place as before. I'll wrap it to stabilize it, I'll need to check your head to make sure it is not bleeding or if the stitches came out." Erik said.

"Ok." Annabelle said.

Erik wrapped Annabelle's foot and then motioned Annabelle to turn around.

"You're bleeding, but not a lot. And you're stitches did rip a little, so I will still have to replace them." Erik said.

"Ok." She said.

Annabelle then grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured in some more into her glass and then proceeded to drink it all. She then waved her hand to show Erik that she was ready to proceed with the stitches. Erik cleaned her wound and re stitched her in a matter of minutes knowing that he wasn't hurting her.

"There. Finished." He said.

"Thank you." Annabelle said, she then got up and helped Erik get up as well.

She started to walk out of the library when Erik's voice stopped her.

"Annabelle wait." He said.

She turned around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Are you really ok? I know that tonight must have been scary and traumatizing, I have an herb that will give you dreamless sleep. If you want it." Erik said.

"Erik, I'm fine. Really. I haven't had a nightmare since I was 17, and if I did have a nightmare. It would be of my dad not Buquet." She said reassuring him.

"As you wish, you may sleep in the swan room from now on until I ask you not to." He said.

"Thank you Erik, the sofa in the library was getting a little uncomfortable." She said.

Annabelle continued walking out of the library but she then stopped at the doorway and turned around.

"Goodnight Erik. Thank you for saving me tonight." Annabelle said and then she walked out of the library and into the swan room.

"Goodnight Annabelle. I wish I could've been there sooner." Erik said quietly.

 **That is where I'm ending Chapter 7! Really short chapter and I apologize! Since it was a short chapter, I've decided that you will have to wait three days until the next chapter comes out. I really wanted to do a major time jump and that would only be possible to do in the next chapter! See you in the next one!**

 **-S**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is chapter 8! This is the chapter with the time jump** , **which is why the last chapter was so short. Here is a link to Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" you HAVE to listen to the whole thing in order to fully understand this chapter and what the characters are talking about.**

 **watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY**

 **I promise it's not horrible and you have probably heard of it before. Anyway, *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

It had been 6 months since Christine's betrayal and Annabelle's confession. During this time Erik and Annabelle became very close. They looked out for each other, Erik made sure that Annabelle didn't get hurt and taught her more self-defense skills. He was surprised when she knew most of them; he had to learn the hard way. Erik even started calling her _mon belle_ as a nickname. It signified how close they were. During this time, Nadir stopped by every once in a while to make sure Annabelle was still alive and that she was taking care of Erik and herself. Nadir never stayed more than 2 days since he had to get home himself and work. Annabelle also helped brainstorm more ideas to get Christine to love Erik and accept him. But most of the time, Erik would spend day and night composing his opera. Annabelle had to make sure he ate and drank, she sometimes had to force feed him. Annabelle also had to feed and water Caesar since Erik would get so caught up in the music and forget about him. It was now a week before the New Years masquerade ball, Erik and Annabelle gave each other small gifts for Christmas since Erik never celebrated and didn't know what to give her. Annabelle made him a leather binder for his opera and Erik gave her a cloak since Paris was now deep into winter. Annabelle was now sitting in the library reading another book by the fireplace on the couch. She had a small blanket draped over her and her legs were tucked underneath her. Erik came in and sat on the armchair across from her.

"Ah, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. A fine choice." Erik said.

"I just started and I am liking it so far. What do you need?" She asked.

"I just came to tell you that I need to go above to get some things and that I will be back in 1 hour." He said.

"Ok, can you get some steak, potatoes, and vegetables while you're up there as well?" She asked.

"Of course, would you like anything else?" He replied.

"No thank you." She said.

"Ok, I will be back in 1 hour. Please don't hurt yourself or go above looking for me. I shan't be long." He said.

"Funny how when I first got here, you locked me in a room because you were worried I would run away or break something." She laughed.

"I still worry about you breaking something, but you at least have some common sense." He said also laughing.

She then shooed him away to go run his errands. Erik got up out of the chair and left the room. He took the boat across the lake and went to go above ground. Annabelle stayed in her spot for around 45 minutes but then became bored of her book. So she put a piece of paper where she left off and went to the organ room. She looked around at some of Erik's things. Anything that wasn't in plain sight, she didn't look at. She did not want to experience his bad side again. She looked around for 5 minutes until she came across the organ. She sat down at the bench and played one key. She listened to the glorious and beautiful sound that the organ played.

"Let's see if I remember." She said to herself.

She then played a quick verse she remembered. As if a switch flipped on in her head, she restarted and started playing Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor". The dark and haunting melody had always attracted her. Her fingers glided delicately and flawlessly across the organ's keyboard. Hitting every note and rhythm perfectly. She soon got lost in the music and began pouring her heart and soul into playing the piece perfectly and in the right tempo. What she didn't realize was that she had a 1-person audience in the background. Erik had finished his errands early and came back to his underground home. Upon entering, Erik heard a dark, complicated, and beautiful melody. He tied the boat to shore and walked over near the organ. He saw Annabelle playing the organ with flawless technique and hand position. He listened to her perform and heard that each note was played effortlessly and perfectly. He waited for her to mess up expecting it would happen soon, but it never did. He thought about stopping her when he walked in because he doesn't like anyone touching or messing with his organ. But when he heard the song being played, he knew he had to listen to it. He had never heard this piece of music before but he hoped she would keep playing, and she did. She never heard him enter; she thought he was still running errands. She kept playing for 9 minutes until the song ended. Once she hit the last note, she flew her head back in great victory. She then heard slow clapping behind her. She turned around and saw Erik clapping. She quickly got off the bench and started messing with her hands in a nervous manner.

"Erik. I'm sorry I didn't mean to, it's just that-I-I-I didn't-I thought you were gone and-" She stuttered but was soon interrupted.

"That was beautiful. I have never seen anyone play so perfectly and effortlessly." He said.

"Thank you." She said shyly.

"Who is the composer?" He asked.

"Bach, it's his Toccata and Fugue in D minor." She said now looking at him.

"I see, I am not quite familiar with that piece. Who taught you to play?" He asked.

"I did. I bought a book that had the keys and notes labeled on it and also the basics of time, tempo, and other things like that." She said.

"How long did it take you to master that piece?" He asked.

"That's the first time I have played through it perfectly. I stopped playing 2 years ago since I had to focus on my studies. I practiced for years but could never play through it without messing up." She admitted.

"I am impressed, and no one hardly impresses me. Any other talents you would like to tell me?" He asked amused.

"I used to play clarinet pretty well and I also play piano." She said.

"I see. I may have a clarinet down here somewhere." He said.

"Oh no Erik, I can't. I am years out of practice, more than the organ and the piano. I don't think I can remember." She said.

"Yet you played the organ perfectly." Erik said.

"Yes but I practiced that piece and the organ for years. I didn't play the clarinet that long, I'd probably end up squeaking and I can't hit the high notes as I used to. My embouchure isn't as strong. " She said hoping he would drop it.

"I think I might have one in my room, I'll be back." Erik said, turning around and heading to his room to retrieve the clarinet.

"Oh Erik." She said putting her head in her hands. "He is setting me up for embarrassment." She said laughing.

Erik then came back into the organ room with a clarinet case in his hand. He then handed it to Annabelle.

"Here, I want to hear you play." He said.

Annabelle took the clarinet and opened it. She saw a perfect clarinet, a lot nicer than the one she used to play.

"Oh Erik. I can't possibly play this. This is too nice for my amateur playing, at best." She said.

"Nonsense. I don't use it; think of it as a second Christmas gift. Put it together and play." He replied firmly.

She then sat down on the bench and put the clarinet together delicately, afraid she would break it. Once it was together, she put the reed on the mouthpiece and tightened it.

"I'm warning you now that this may be awful." She said.

"Just play! For God's sake Anna!" He exclaimed.

"Ok, ok." Annabelle said.

She then put the mouthpiece into her mouth and played an open G. (AN: A open G on clarinet is where no fingers are pressed on the keys) After many years of not playing or practicing clarinet, her G was in tune. Annabelle took the clarinet out of her mouth and observed it.

"Holy mother of God. This plays beautifully." She said.

Erik then nodded at her to continue. Annabelle put the mouthpiece into her mouth and started playing scales as she remembered them. To her surprise, her fingers and mouth seemed to know what to do, because she couldn't even process what was going on. Her tonguing was sharp and accurate and she took breaths at the correct times. Once she finished her scales she took the mouthpiece out of her mouth and looked at Erik expectantly.

"Soooo?" She asked.

"Perfect technique. Your scales were played through flawlessly. It sounded as though you have been playing for years." He said.

"Wow, really? I thought that you would've said it was ok." She said.

"There is not a lot to improve on that can't fixed within a few weeks. Your embouchure just needs to regain it's strength." He said.

"Oh, well thank you." She replied.

"Do you know of any melodies you could play?" He asked.

"Only one, but it's very hard and complex. I haven't played it in forever. I don't even know if I remember the whole thing." She admitted.

"Well go on." He pushed her.

"Ok ok." She said.

She played the first note of "Flight of the Bumblebee". She her fingers started at an impossibly fast pace, and her tongue was right there keeping up with her fingers. Erik stared at her in amazement. He was trying to watch her playing but all he could watch was her mind and soul being poured into the music. The song came to a abrupt end and he looked over at Annabelle. She was bent over panting with the clarinet still in her hand. He bent over with her to see her face.

"Are you ok?" He asked frantically.

"Yes. I'm fine, just a little out of practice. My hands cramped up and I ran out of breath." She said still panting. She tried to stand up straight but wobbled a little.

"You are not fine." Erik insisted.

Erik took the clarinet gently from her hands and took it apart. He then put it in the case and put it on the ground. He put his hand on her back and helped her stand up straight.

"Erik I'm fine. Just a little light headed." She reassured him.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked.

"I don't know. Yesterday? The day before?" She asked.

"You need food. Come, I'll make you something to eat." He told her.

"Are you sure you can work a stove?" She asked.

" _Mon belle_ , why would I have a stove if I didn't know how to use it?" He asked.

"Just asking, I've never seen you cook." She replied

"Because you are the one who cooks." He replied with a smirk

Erik then helped Annabelle into the kitchen. He led her over to the table and chairs in the kitchen and helped her sit down. He then went over to the food and picked and chose different foods to put into his meal. He then bent over the counter and started cutting the vegetables. Annabelle watched him in amazement, she couldn't keep her eyes away

 _I'm so in love with him._ She thought.

Her head then popped up realizing what she thought. She looked over at Erik to make sure she didn't say it out loud. Erik paid no attention to her, so she knew she didn't say it out loud.

 _Wait, where did that come from? I do not love Erik. There's no way, I can't. Love is for fools, I will not let myself go through that heartbreak. I'm just thankful, yeah, that's what it is, thankfulness and admiration. NOT love. Those feelings are not love; I will not get in his way to happiness with Christine or be heartbroken like I was._

She snapped out of her thoughts to see Erik staring at her.

"Are you ok? Are you lightheaded again?" He asked.

"No Erik, not anymore. I just got into deep thought." She said.

"Oh, so that's what that was. No wonder I saw smoke coming out of your ears." He said with a smirk.

"Haha. Very funny." She mocked.

He then turned back around to finish cooking. He cooked for 5 more minutes until he brought a bowl to her. She looked in it and saw that it was beef stew. Not realizing how hungry she was, she immediately started eating. Erik then went back to the counter to grab another bowl and he sat across from her. He began eating as well.

"Why have you not been eating?" He asked.

"I don't know. I guess from feeding Caesar, feeding you, and trying to keep this place just a little clean. I guess I just forgot to feed myself." She said.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"What are you apologizing for? You don't need to." She insisted.

"No, I do. If I actually took care of myself and my things, then you wouldn't be starving yourself for others." He said frustrated.

"No, Erik. It isn't your fault, don't you dare think it's ever your fault. It's just not me taking care of myself like I should be. **I'm** sorry for scaring you, I should've been feeding myself and taking care of myself." She said.

"Anna, the man in the household should be taking care of the woman, not the other way around. I got so caught up with writing and composing my opera, that I forgot about everything around me." He admitted.

"Erik, I knew that was going to happen. After what happened on the roof, I knew you were going to distract yourself with something for a while. I knew I was going to have to be the one to force-feed you, feed Caesar, and clean a little. It's ok, honestly. I'm eating now and I feel better. I promise I'll take care of myself better." She said looking him straight in the eyes

"And I promise to look after you and not let you starve yourself." He said laughing.

"Are we married now?" She said sarcastically and then uncontrollably laughing.

Erik then joined her laughing. They sounded like a married couple reading their vows to each other. They laughed until a pair of footsteps appeared in the room. They both looked up and saw Nadir with his hands crossed above his chest with an amused look on his face.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

Erik and Annabelle then started laughing again realizing that they probably looked stupid laughing at nothing. But they were at least being stupid together.

 **That's it for Chapter 8! I hope you all enjoyed it! And uh oh, looks Annabelle maybe growing some feelings for Erik, but she doesn't want to admit it ;) See you all in the next one!**

 **-S**

 **Future me typing! I am getting so behind on writing ya'll, by chapter 10 I planned on having 11-15 done. I just got done with 11 yesterday, so I don't know how long you guys are going to wait for chapters after chapter 10. I'll let you all know in the next one on how things are going.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Can't believe I'm already on chapter 9, and there's still a lot more to go! Make sure ya'll favorite, follow, and review; it is much appreciated! Nothing more except, *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

Nadir stood there for a couple minutes wondering what they were laughing at. It took them a few minutes to calm down and tell them.

"Nadir you always come at the worst times." Erik said.

Erik stood up from his chair and walked over to Nadir and shook his hand. Annabelle simply turned around to watch their exchange. She smiled as Erik came to take their bowls to the sink as he talked to Nadir.

 _It's good to know someone will be here for him when I'm gone. Shit, how is he going to take me leaving? I have to talk to Nadir._

Annabelle was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard their footsteps coming closer and them both laughing. She stood up and waited for them to approach.

"Well Nadir, I hate to do this but I need finish my opera. I trust you can keep an eye on Annabelle for me?" He said.

"Of course my friend." Nadir said.

Nadir nodded at Erik, dismissing him to go work on his opera. Erik then left the kitchen and went into the organ room to compose.

"Nadir, may I speak with you in the library?" Annabelle asked.

"Of course." He replied.

The pair left the kitchen and went into the library. Annabelle sat down on the couch and Nadir sat on the armchair across from the couch. Annabelle had her legs slightly spread apart, her back hunched over, her elbows resting on her thighs, and her arms hanging off her knees. Nadir sat with his legs crossed, back straight, and both hands resting in his lap.

"Nadir, I'm about to tell you a certain set of information that is going to seem impossible, but I'm going to need you to stay with me." She said.

Nadir gave her a confused look and nodded for her to continue.

"Ok, there's no better way to say this but I'm just going to say it. I'm from the future, the year 2015."

Nadir then busted out laughing.

"My dear, have you had too much to drink?" He asked still laughing.

"Nadir, I'm serious. I am perfectly sober. Here, I can prove it to you." Annabelle said.

She got up and left the library and shortly came back with something in her hand. She then held it up for Nadir to see.

"In 2015, this is what we call a cell phone. This is an IPhone. We use them to communicate with each other with just a simple touch of a button." She said. She pressed the power button and the phone came to life.

Nadir jumped back; surprised that a small device could do such a thing.

"It doesn't even have buttons. You simply touch the screen and it does what you want it to do." She said.

Nadir still stared at the device in amazement.

"Nadir. Hello? Earth to Nadir!" She yelled.

Nadir switched his gaze onto Annabelle.

"Do you believe me now?" She asked.

Nadir simply nodded his head for her to keep going.

"Well long story short, something strange happened and I ended up here in Erik's home. I appeared right before Christine's big debut. I'm here to change how his story ends, I'm trying to get Christine to accept and love him. But, in the near future I'm afraid I'll be transported back to my time whether Christine accepts Erik or not. I need to know that you will look after him when I'm gone. I'm worried that if she rejects him like she normally does in the story, that the grief of her and I leaving will be too much for him. Please promise me, that is all I ask." She said with pleading eyes.

"Of course my dear. How are you so sure you will return?" He asked.

"I don't belong here, it's no coincidence that I got here before Christine's debut, and I'll probably be sent back after the story supposedly ends." She said sadly.

"It's a shame, you really bring out the best in him Annabelle. It's going to be hard without you here." Nadir said.

"It's going to be hard to be away from here. I don't know how I'll take it. But hey! That's not for another few months; we will worry about it then. I'm going to go check on him and make sure he hasn't hurt himself." She chuckled.

Annabelle got off of the couch and headed towards the organ room. She stopped by the door and turned towards Nadir.

"Thank you Nadir. I'm deeply grateful to you." She said.

Annabelle then continued her way to the organ room. Nadir stayed sitting on the armchair going over all the information that was given to him.

"They are so in love with each other it's obvious to everyone except them. Should I do something about it? I think I'd rather watch them figure it out for themselves instead." He laughed.

Nadir also got up and left the library and headed towards the kitchen to grab a drink. After Nadir grabbed his drink from the kitchen he headed over to the organ room. What he saw warmed his heart; Annabelle was sharing the bench with Erik while he composed. It appeared Annabelle was dozing off and her head rested on Erik's shoulder as he composed. Erik was so into composing that he didn't notice Annabelle fell asleep on his shoulder. Nadir finished his drink and he put it on Erik's desk. He then walked over to Erik's side. He gently tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

"What is it Daroga?" Erik asked while still composing

"I apologize for interrupting but it appears that you have a sleeping guest on your shoulder." Nadir said.

Erik turned his head ever so slightly to look at Annabelle. She was sound asleep on his shoulder. He slipped his left arm under her arm and supported her back and he used his right arm and put it under her knees. He gently lifted her off the bench while her head was still rested on his shoulder. He moved swiftly away from the organ and put her in the bed in the swan room. He then emerged from the room only find Nadir by his desk with an amused look on his face.

"What is it you find funny now Daroga?" Erik asked.

"You care for the girl." Nadir said.

"And?" Erik asked.

"Do you love her?" Nadir asked.

"She is a close friend. I look after her and protect her from danger whereas she looks after me." Erik said.

"But you did not answer my question." Nadir insisted.

"No Nadir, I do not love her. I love Christine, she is my angel." Erik replied.

"Are you sure Erik? Can you look at her and say you do not love her?" Nadir asked again.

"My heart belongs to Christine and Christine only. That does not mean I wouldn't give the world to see Annabelle happy and safe. Yes Daroga, I care for her but I do not love her." Erik said.

"Ok Erik, whatever you say." Nadir replied.

"Now if you would excuse me Daroga, I must finish my opera before the ball next week. You can help yourself to food and drink." Erik said

He then left Nadir and went to the organ and continued composing as he was. Nadir simply shook his head in amusement and went into the library to read.

Hours passed and Annabelle woke up dazed, not knowing where she was. She quickly realized she was in the swan bed but she didn't know how she got there. She then assumed Erik carried her here. Annabelle didn't know what time it was so she got up and went to the library. She saw Nadir lying on the couch sleeping with a book on his chest. She then headed to the organ room. There she saw Erik still at the organ composing. Annabelle went over to the organ and stood by it but made sure to be in Erik's view.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It is a little past one o clock in the morning." He simply replied.

"Oh geez. How long have you been composing?" She asked.

"A little over 5 hours." He said.

"Oh Erik, you must get some rest." She said.

"I am not tired." He replied while still composing.

"Well at least take a small break. Maybe something to eat?" She asked.

"I will take a break if you let me cook for both of us." He said.

"Alright, alright. Deal." She said defeated with her hands up.

Erik got up off the bench and went to the kitchen. Annabelle followed close behind. Once they were both in the kitchen, Annabelle sat at the table and Erik started making a small meal for both of them. The pair sat in comfortable silence as Annabelle watched Erik cook. 30 minutes later and Erik had made some chicken soup. He handed Annabelle her bowl and he sat across from her. Annabelle took a sip of the soup and found that he was actually a good cook.

"Who knew that the infamous Phantom of the Opera was such a good cook?" She said.

"Only you, Nadir, and I know." He said with a smirk.

"Don't worry, I'll never tell." She replied.

They both stared at each other and smiled. Then they both went back to eating their small meal. Although in true Annabelle nature, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"So what's this masquerade party about?" She asked.

"It is to celebrate the New Year and of course the glorious 6 months that I have not made myself present." He said, exaggerating the word glorious.

"I assume its not going to go the way they planned?" She asked.

"You know me well _mon belle_. Of course not, I plan to give them my opera to perform." He said.

"So that's why you have been non stop working on that thing." She said.

"That thing, is my pride and joy. My masterpiece." He replied.

"Ok, ok. Easy tiger. So when is the masquerade?" She asked.

"This Saturday." He said.

"When do you plan on making your appearance?" She asked.

"A little later in the party." He said.

"Oh ok." She said in a hinting manner to Erik.

Erik put his spoon in his bowl and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I know that tone Anna. What do you want?" He asked.

"Well, I was wondering if I could go?" She said raising her voice in an appealing manner.

"I don't know Annabelle. What if you get hurt again?" He asked worried.

"Oh please Erik, you can come with me. It's a masquerade; you can come in your normal attire. No one will know! You will blend right in. You can be there to defend me if you wish, but you know I can hold my own." She said.

"Anna…"

"Please Erik?" She asked batting her eyes at him.

"Oh alright Annabelle. But when I have to leave you are leaving with me." He said in an authoritative manner.

"You got it! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She replied.

She then got up off of her chair and ran towards Erik. She enveloped him a hug and gave him a quick peck on his unmasked cheek. She noticed Erik stiffened underneath her so she quickly let go.

"Sorry, I forget you're not used to the whole close human contact thing." She said.

Annabelle left the kitchen and went back to her room. Erik stayed frozen in his seat, he didn't even move when she kissed him. He slowly moved his hand to his cheek. He traced where her lips were on his skin with his hand. He felt tears coming down his face. He hunched over the desk and started sobbing. Never had anyone willingly given him a hug or even a kiss on the cheek. Not even his own mother.

"Oh Annabelle. What are you doing to me?" He asked himself.

Little did he know that Annabelle was in her room crying as well.

"Oh Erik. What have I done?" She asked.

 _I can't believe I did that! I'm so stupid, his first kiss is supposed to be from Christine! I need to stay professional and remember the task at hand, I can't let my own desires and feelings get in the way._ Annabelle thought.

Both Annabelle and Erik went to sleep questioning each other and themselves. Little did they know that Nadir had seen the whole exchange between them…

 **Damn it Nadir! You seem to be only here during the exciting parts! Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! I'm so excited for these next few chapters; it's going to be action packed! See you all in the next one!**

 **-S**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, I can't believe we're on Chapter 10! So excited to keep this story going and that I get to keep writing it! Nothing else except *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

It was the day before the masquerade and the opera house was busier than ever. Erik had finally finished his opera and put it into Annabelle's leather book she gave him. Everything went back to normal between Erik and Annabelle after what happened. Annabelle had been so busy keeping the lair clean, feeding Erik and herself, helping Erik finish his opera, and taking care of Caesar, that she totally forgot to get a dress for the masquerade. After Erik finished his opera, he announced that he was going to the surface for a while but wouldn't tell Annabelle why. After Erik had left, Annabelle decided to practice the organ a little more. She went over to the organ and played a simple piece by Mozart, nothing special but it was something that could keep her skills in check. Once she was finished, Erik still wasn't back, so she went on to play the clarinet. She mostly did scales and a few beginner songs to strengthen her embouchure and practice her breathing. It was then she saw Erik pull up on the gondola. She walked over to the shore to help Erik dock the boat. When she walked up she held the boat while got out. She noticed that Erik was carrying something; he got out of the boat and barely acknowledged her. She saw him nearly running to his room with a bag in tow. She laughed to herself at the scene in front of her. He then came back out more collected and calm and it appeared that the bag was put away.

"I assume your trip went well?" She asked.

"Your clarinet playing has improved." He said.

"Subtle subject change Erik. Seriously, anything interesting happen?" She asked.

"Nothing that concerns you Annabelle." He replied.

"Oh come on, what's in the bag?" She asked

"I think it was you that told me that curiosity killed the cat. Time will tell _mon belle_." He said.

"Ugh, fine. Be that way. Anyway, requests for dinner?" She asked.

"Surprise me." He said.

"As you wish." She replied.

Annabelle then walked out of the organ room and headed to the kitchen. Erik smiled warmly as she walked away. Once Annabelle had made it to the kitchen, Erik breathed out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." He mumbled to himself.

He then walked to the library to wait until Annabelle was finished cooking.

In the kitchen, Annabelle was making them both steaks for dinner. She had already prepped the steaks and was cutting onions. She wasn't paying much attention when she felt a sharp pain on her pointer finger. She looked down and saw that she cut herself very deeply. She hissed in pain and ran it under some water.

"Erik?" She yelled.

"What?" Erik yelled back.

"Where is the gauze?" She asked.

She then heard Erik's fast footsteps coming her way. Erik rushed into the room to find Annabelle with her finger in her mouth. Erik took her hand and investigated the cut. He then walked out of the kitchen and came back shortly with some gauze. He took her finger and carefully wrapped it. Annabelle watched him as he wrapped her finger in complete concentration. Once he was done, he let go of her hand.

"That should do it. You may get back to your cooking." He said.

"Alright, thank you Erik. Although I am more than capable to handle a cut." She said.

"I have no doubt that you are, but I would prefer to do it." He replied.

"Ok well, dinner's almost ready. 10 more minutes." She said.

Erik then walked out of the kitchen and went back to the library to wait until dinner was finished.

Once Erik had left the kitchen, Annabelle continued cooking. Like she said, it only took 10 more minutes and dinner was ready. Annabelle set the table and placed the food on the plates. She placed a glass near their plates and went to go fetch Erik. She walked into the library and found Erik on the armchair going over his opera. She walked over to the chair and knelt next to him. She lightly tapped his arm to get his attention. Erik slightly turned his head towards her.

"Dinner is ready. Come in when you're ready." She said.

"Thank you. I will be there in a few moments." He replied.

Annabelle stood back up and left the room to go eat, since she was hungry herself. She poured herself a glass of whiskey and began eating. Not 2 minutes after she sat down, Erik had joined her. He too, poured himself a glass of whiskey. Once he seemed settled, Annabelle started a conversation.

"Is everything prepared for tomorrow?" She asked.

"It seems to be. They have been rehearsing masquerade all day, there is really no need. They're all off pitch anyway. It's going to be a surprise performance."

"A flash mob?" She asked.

"A what?" He replied confused.

"It's basically what you said, a surprise performance. The performers seem like ordinary people, but then they all start dancing and singing together. It's called a flash mob where I'm from." She said

"Interesting. What else did you do while I was gone?" He asked.

"Oh nothing. Cleaned a little, practiced the organ, and clarinet. But you knew the clarinet part since you walked in on me practicing." She said.

"Oh yes, you are becoming quite the musician." He said.

"Oh please, I can play 3 instruments and I only have 2-3 songs memorized for each instrument. I am no musician." She said.

"Annabelle, did you hear what you said? You are in fact a musician _mon belle._ You can play 3 instruments, while others can only play one. You have 6-9 pieces of music memorized, while others can barely memorize one." He defended.

"Erik, I am no musician compared to you. You can play many different instruments, you can sing, and you just wrote an opera! I am merely an amateur compared to you." She said, raising her voice.

"But that is where you are wrong _mon belle_. I am a composer, I have to know and do those things in order to know where to put different instruments and singers. You're a musician whether you like it or not." He replied smirking at her.

"I'm just going to let you win this argument since I want to talk about something else." She said defeated.

"Ok, what would you like to talk about?" He asked.

"I have a question about the ball." She said.

"What kind of question Annabelle?" He asked, already knowing what the question was going to be.

"Well, I was wondering if I could go above and perhaps get a dress?" She asked.

"With what money?" He instantly replied.

"Well, I figured I could take a costume from the costume department and fix it a little." She said.

"No Annabelle, just wear the dress I got you when you accompanied me to Hannibal." He said.

"But Erik, that dress isn't for a masquerade. Please?" She pleaded.

"The answer's no Annabelle. There are so many people up above getting everything ready, it would be impossible to even open an entrance without someone noticing. And I'm not risking another, incident." He said.

"Ok, what about a mask?" She asked, hoping she could at least make one herself.

"You can wear one of mine, I have plenty. This discussion is over." He said.

"Ok mom." She said pushing her plate away.

"Annabelle, you need to eat. I will not have another fainting episode as well." He said

"I'm really not that hungry Erik. I just want to sleep." She said as she proceeded to get up and clean up her dishes.

"Goodnight Annabelle." He said, looking into her eyes.

"Goodnight Erik." She replied.

Erik continued to eat while she left to go to the swan room. Once she left, he smiled to himself in victory.

"She doesn't suspect a thing." He said to himself.

He then put up his dishes and the whiskey and went into the swan room to check on her. He walked the short distance to the swan room and made sure to be very silent. He quietly opened the door and walked in. He saw that there were a few candles lit but not enough to make it bright in the room. He walked over to the bed and saw that she appeared to be asleep. He sat down on the side of the bed where she was facing him. He gently shook her shoulder to get her attention. He heard a sharp intake of breath and he saw her eyes looking at him.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hi." He replied.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I know you are upset with me about not letting you get a dress." He said looking down.

Annabelle then sat up with her legs crossed. She lightly ran her fingers through her hair and pushed it back.

"Erik, what I asked of you was selfish. Just you letting me stay here is enough. I can make do with the dress you got me for Hannibal." She insisted, while she talked she lightly touched his arm.

"Annabelle, I no longer see you as a temporary house guest who owes me something. You live here, this is your home too as it is mine. But with the recent events 6 months ago, I cannot risk you getting hurt again. I have to protect you, even if it means I hurt you in the smallest way." Erik admitted.

Annabelle then scooted towards Erik and hugged him deeply. Erik too, hugged her back.

"Thank you Erik." She said softly and then she rested her head on his shoulder.

They sat like that for nearly 30 minutes until Annabelle let go of Erik and scooted back to look at him.

"I want to protect you Erik as well. Even if I do have to knock some sense into ya." She said with a smirk.

Erik laughed in return and let go of Annabelle as well. He then got up and left her room and went into his as well. Both Erik and Annabelle slept in peace that night knowing that all was well between them… But little did they know that soon, everything was going to go terribly wrong.

 **That's it for Chapter 10! Man, this chapter took me like 2 weeks to write, filler chapters are always hard! But I hope you all enjoyed it! It's a little shorter than my other chapters but I hope its ok. We still have a lot more to go through ya'll. It's about to get crazy.**

 **-S**

 **I also want to address a review I saw earlier this week about Erik's past. It's coming! Their not in that part of their relationship yet, Annabelle's secrets were easier for her to tell because she had already come to terms with them where as Erik hasn't yet. But it will come when Erik reveals all, anyway, see ya'll in the next one!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's Chapter 11! This is where the fun action stuff happens! I have a lot planned so I hope you're all ready! Nothing else except, *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

Annabelle awoke to her being gently shaken. She opened her eyes and saw Erik above her.

"What Erik?" She groaned and then she put a pillow over her head.

"Come with me, I have to show you something." He said still shaking her.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Nine o clock in the morning." He said.

"How about in half an hour you show me something." She said.

"No Annabelle, now, it's our only chance. I'll give you 10 minutes to get ready and then I will be back whether you're ready or not." He said.

Erik got off the bed and walked out the door and went into the library to wait for her.

"Ugh!" She screamed into her pillow.

Annabelle threw the covers off of her body and slowly got out of bed. She walked over to a chair in the corner of the room that had her normal clothes on it. She slipped on her jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and converse. She then used a piece of ribbon to put her hair into a ponytail. She didn't put on any makeup since she was already going to put some on for the ball. Once she felt she was ready she walked to the library to tell Erik. She walked to the library and peeked her head through the door. She saw Erik sitting in the lounge chair facing away from the door.

"I'm ready." She called out.

She saw Erik's head pop out on the side of the chair looking at her. He stood up and walked towards Annabelle. Erik was wearing his normal white shirt with a black vest paired with black pants and shoes. But he was also wearing his black cloak and his fedora.

"I do not understand for the life of me why women in your time dress like that." He said with a smirk.

"Comfort over beauty my friend." She said.

"Come, we have little time left." He said. He then motioned for her to follow him.

"Little time for what Erik?" She asked

"You will see." He said.

The pair approached the boat and got in. Erik untied the boat from the dock and then Erik steered the boat to the other side of the lake. The short boat ride was silent, but it was a comfortable silence between them. The boat soon arrived at the dock on the other side of the lake. Erik tied the boat to the dock and then he stepped out of the boat on the dock and helped Annabelle out of it. Once they were both out of the boat Erik motioned Annabelle to follow him. They took the normal passage that took them to Christine's dressing room, but halfway there Erik took a sharp right turn that showed a new passage. Erik took Annabelle's hand unexpectedly

"It gets dark in this passage, I don't want you hurting your foot again." He said still looking forward.

"Oh, ok. Where does this passage go?" She asked.

"The main lobby of the opera house, where the main staircase is. That is where is the masquerade is being held." He said.

Annabelle said nothing in reply and instead kept walking behind Erik. They walked for another 5 minutes until Erik stopped. He turned around and looked at Annabelle.

"Stay here and don't make a sound, I need to make sure that no one is around." Erik said.

Annabelle simply nodded and watched as Erik flipped a switch and part of the wall in front of them slid open to reveal a hallway leading to the main lobby. As Erik said, Annabelle stayed where she was and Erik slid out of the passage way and into the hallway and he disappeared in the shadows. Annabelle only waited for 2 minutes until she saw Erik reappear. He held out his hand to her and she took it, He led her through the hallway and once they reached the main lobby they hid in the shadows by the walls incase someone did come in.

"Erik, where is everybody?" She asked.

"They're on a half hour break, they have been working since this time yesterday." He said.

Annabelle said nothing in reply and simply looked around at the lobby. It was decorated in colorful ribbons with catering tables scattered across the sides. There in the middle of the lobby was another beautiful chandelier; the diamonds that hung from the chandelier glistened when the light hit them just right. Hundreds of candles were placed all around the room. Erik's voice soon snapped out of her trance and she looked at him.

"This is where the masquerade will be. The bottom of the stairs is where people will be dancing and the tables will hold food and drink for guests. The stairs is where the surprise performance will be held. We must leave before then since that is when I will make an entrance. There is another passage way over there in that corner on the left side of the stairs that is where we will leave. There will be no tables set up over there so no one should be there." Erik said while pointing at the different places he was referring to.

Annabelle's eyes followed Erik's hands as he motioned to the different areas he was talking about.

"How long will we be here?" Annabelle asked.

"Around 2 hours, enough time for you to dance and eat and enjoy yourself." He said.

"And what about you?" Annabelle asked now facing him.

"What about me?" He replied.

"Where will you be? Are you going to be with me?" She asked.

"I will only be with you a short time, for the rest of the time I will watch you in the shadows."

"You'll give me one dance right?" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Of course _mon belle_." He said.

She smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

"Come, we must return. Their break should be ending soon." He said as he grabbed her hand and went back through the passageway they came through. The walk back to the lair was silent. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence; all that they wanted to say to each other had already been said. The walk only took but 5 minutes since there were no interruptions. Once the pair arrived back, Annabelle offered to make breakfast for them since it was going to be a long day. As usual, Erik waited in the living room going over his opera while Annabelle cooked. Annabelle cooked some eggs, bacon, and some leftover bread that was also there. She made little bacon and egg sandwiches for herself and decided to let Erik choose how he wanted to eat his food. Once the table was set she went off to the library to fetch Erik. When she reached the library, she found Erik once again in his chair going over his opera. She walked over and knelt by the chair. He didn't notice that she came in so she quietly spoke to him.

"I think you've gone over your opera 50 times now. Breakfast is ready." She whispered.

"I have to make sure it is ready to be given to the managers. I'll be there in a minute." He replied still looking at the page.

"Well, I think it's going to be perfect. Don't stress yourself out." She whispered while getting up.

Erik looked up and smiled at her. Annabelle simply smiled back at him and left the room to go eat.

Annabelle sat down at the table and started eating her sandwich that she made. She ate along for around 5 minutes until Erik finally showed up and sat down. Annabelle was already almost done with her breakfast by the time Erik started eating his. Annabelle decided to eat slowly so that she could talk to Erik. He was always so busy that they didn't talked as much as when she first landed here.

"So when is Nadir's next visit?" She asked.

"I don't know, he always comes unannounced. He left in a hurry last time he was here." He said.

"Hmm, do you know why he left?" She asked

"He said that everything looked fine here and he saw no need to stay longer." He replied.

"What time does the masquerade start tonight?" She asked.

"It starts at 8 pm tonight."

"So we will be leaving at around 10?"

"Correct."

"How long will your surprise appearance take?"

"No longer than 20 minutes I suppose."

"Oh ok."

Then there was a short silence between the two while they ate.

"Is your opera finally ready to be shown to the world?" She asked.

"I think so, its up to the managers to make sure it gets performed perfectly." He said.

"Do you think they will make sure it does get performed perfectly? Will Christine perform?" She asked.

"Why are you asking all of these questions Anna? From what I recall, you know how all of this happens?" He said, starting to raise his voice.

"Ok ok. I'm sorry, I just worry about you. I want to make sure you're ready is all." She said backing down

"Well I am perfectly ready, _mademoiselle_. You don't have to worry." He said coolly.

Annabelle visibly flinched. He had struck a nerve and she felt her guard starting to build up again. She hadn't heard mademoiselle used since Buquet tried to violate her and she had just started to forget about what happened. The nightmares had almost completely vanished. Now they were all resurfacing after hearing a simply word. Annabelle quickly stood up and started cleaning up her plate.

Erik noticed and quickly regretted what he said.

"Annabelle I-" Erik started but Annabelle quickly interrupted him.

"I-I-I'm going to uh, go to um, the library. And just read until the uh, Masquerade." She said stuttering over words.

She started making frantic hand movements to get her mess cleaned up. She could feel her tears building up in her eyes, she moved quicker so that Erik wouldn't see her cry. She practically threw her dishes in the sink and ran out to the library. Erik quickly got up and attempted to run after her.

"Anna stop! Please, I'm sorry. Annabelle I didn't mean to say that." Erik yelled after her.

Erik was too late; she had already run into the library and locked the door. Erik ran up to the door and started lightly banging on it.

"Annabelle, please let me in." He pleaded

"Please Erik, I just want to read." She said softly.

"Anna, there are multiple ways to get in there." He said.

"Erik, if you come in here so help me God I will use those self defense moves you taught me." She yelled back.

Erik chuckled to himself softly.

"Annabelle, just listen to me." Erik pleaded again.

"Ok, I'm listening." Annabelle said.

Annabelle quietly made her way to the door and in front of it to listen to him. By the now tears were streaming down her face.

"I'm so terribly sorry. I know how much you hate that word after the incident and it was horrible of me to bring it up. I was just tired after proofreading that opera so many times and I know that is no excuse for me to have said what I said." Erik said

No answer.

"I still wonder what would've happened if I had been there sooner, there are so many scenarios that appear in my mind of what could've happened if I wasn't there at all. I could've kept a closer eye on you when you left. I know you have been having nightmares, I hear you at night. You scream, cry, and thrash around in bed. I come in and sing to you to try and get you sleep again. I wish I could make them go away forever but I can't. It kills me every time you scream in the middle of the night, you just look so terrified and I feel so helpless because I can't do anything to make them go away." Erik said defeated.

The door slowly opened, and there stood Annabelle in the middle of the doorway with tears streaming down her face and her face a soft red color. She then looked straight into Erik's grey gold eyes and started crying again. Erik ran over to her and enveloped her in a comforting embrace, gently stroking her hair and rubbing her back. He gently lifted her up into his arms and walked over to the couch and sat down. Annabelle curled up into his lap and started crying into his shoulder.

"The nightmares had almost finally gone away. I don't want them to come back Erik; I can't sleep when they come. They're always different but they terrify me the same each time. Please. I want just want them to go away." She cried softly.

"Oh _mon belle_ , I'm so sorry. I'll make them go away, don't worry." Erik said, while still petting her hair.

He too, had a tear rolling down his unmasked cheek. He thought that Christine's betrayal broke his heart in half but this shattered it into a million pieces. It hurt; it physically hurt to see her in this state. It had been six months and things were getting better. But he had to go and bring back these terrible memories because she was simply worried about him. He gently rested his head on her head while still comforting her.

"I'll protect you, I promise." He whispered.

 **And that's Chapter 11! I'm not gonna lie, I did tear up a little bit writing the last part. Anyway, sorry for another filler chapter, this is the last one I have planned so hopefully the rest of the chapters are what I plan them being. After Erik and Annabelle checked out the main stairway, I could not for the life of me figure out what to add after that! Since I try and make each chapter a minimum of 2,000 words, it took me several drafts to finally stick with this one. But I definitely like this one the best. Anyway hope you all liked it and see you in the next one!**

 **-S**


	12. Chapter 12

**Can't believe we're already at chapter 12! My other fan fiction that I started a year ago isn't even this far! Anyway I hope you are all enjoying this story as much as I am! Not much more to say except *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

Annabelle had drifted off to sleep in Erik's lap with her head on his shoulder. When he noticed she had fallen asleep he decided to read instead of moving and waking her up. He decided to pick up the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the same book that Annabelle read when she first landed there. 7 months. It's been 7 months since Annabelle landed in his home and started helping him. He continued to read until he heard a distant male voice calling his name. He groaned, cursing himself since he knew who was coming. He decided to let him find him because he still didn't want to wake up Annabelle. Soon enough the voice got closer and then the person walked through the door and into the library. Nadir saw Annabelle on his lap and was about to say something but Erik put his finger up to his mouth.

"Yes Daroga?" Erik whispered.

Nadir walked closer and sat at the armchair across from him. He hadn't said anything as he was observing Erik and Annabelle.

"What happened?" Nadir asked quietly. Both him and Erik were mindful to Annabelle sleeping.

"She had a breakdown."

"I see. And what caused this breakdown?" Nadir asked.

"I did." Erik said shamefully.

"How?"

"I said something really horrible and it brought back what happened the night Buquet was killed."

"Didn't you kill Buquet?"

"No, Annabelle did."

Nadir's eyes tripled in size.

"It's not what you think, it was out of self defense." Erik said quickly

"What happened to the extent to where she had to kill somebody to protect herself?"

"He was going to rape her Daroga. I found him just in time before any damage was done. I had put the noose over his head and started to kill him myself. But he hit me in the stomach, which knocked me down, and he went after Annabelle. She quickly moved out of the way and he was on the edge so he turned around and she kicked him, which knocked him over the edge. The end of the noose caught on to the railing, which hung him from the rafters. She was horrified; you should have seen her face. But I was too late, what Buquet had almost done to her brought back some painful memories from her childhood. Now she's been having nightmares these past 6 months. They have gone down in this past month, but I hear her screams at night and I come in and sing her back to sleep." Erik said

Nadir said nothing in return. He was too shocked to say a single word.

"Everyone thinks you killed Buquet Erik!" Nadir shouted quietly.

"I know Daroga. Be quiet, she needs to sleep. I would rather everyone think that I killed him instead of her. It would raise a lot of questions. No one knows she is here except you and me. Hell, she hasn't even left this damn lair except for 2 performances. People would look for her and-"

"They would take her?" Nadir interrupted.

"Yes and who knows what they would do to her." Erik said defeated.

"Knowing her, she would put up a hell of a fight." Nadir said smirking.

Erik scoffed in amusement.

"Yes she would." Erik said.

"For the first time Erik, I think that someone is actually safer staying down here with you instead of being up there. She doesn't know anything about this time or how to act. She is safe and well monitored here." Nadir said.

"Thank you Daroga. But she takes care of herself, like no woman in this time does. It's admirable." Erik said, looking at the woman asleep on his lap.

"Is that why you're drawn to her and care for her? Because she doesn't need you? Because she takes care of you?" Nadir asked.

"Think what you want, she's helping me win Christine over from that boy that Christine thinks she's in love with." Erik said, dismissing Nadir.

"Like how you think you're in love with Christine?"

"What was that Daroga?"

"Oh nothing Erik." Nadir said, dismissing Erik back.

Both men said nothing in return.

"Is she going to the Masquerade tonight?" Nadir asked.

"Yes, I will keep a close eye on her." Erik said.

"Did she ask you to go?"

"More like begged me to go. We worked up a plan on what will happen tonight." Erik said.

"I see. Will people be skeptical about who she is?" Nadir asked.

"I think people will wonder who she is since no one will recognize her. Since no one knows her."

"What if she catches the eye of a possible suitor?"

"She doesn't believe in love Daroga. She hates the idea of it. If it happens, I think she will turn them away. But it's up to her, I won't hold her back from being happy."

"Do you want her to stay with you and Christine?"

"Of course I do Daroga. But knowing her, she will want to leave because it won't feel right for her. I don't even know how she will get back home, if she can even go back home." Erik said now looking at Annabelle's sleeping figure.

Nadir said nothing in return.

"Why are you here?" Erik asked Nadir.

"I came to attend the Masquerade tonight."

"And why are you attending the Masquerade?"

"To keep any eye on you of course. But I think Annabelle will have that covered." Nadir said.

Erik laughed in return.

The two men had nothing more to talk about. So Nadir went back up to the surface to get ready for the Masquerade that evening. Erik continued reading for a few hours, careful not to wake up Annabelle. At around 3 o clock he felt Annabelle stirring in his lap. He looked down at her and was met with Annabelle's brown orbs.

"What time is it?" She asked, still not moving from Erik's lap.

"Around 3 in the afternoon."

"When did I go to sleep?"

"10 in the morning."

"I've been in your lap for 5 hours?"

"Yes."

"You could have moved me to the bedroom you know?"

"I could have, but I felt it was best if I didn't disturb you. So I let you sleep on my lap."

"Did I do anything?"

"No, you seemed to be sleeping peacefully."

"That's good. I didn't have any nightmares."

"Nadir came today."

"Oh goodness, he saw our situation didn't he?"

"Nadir was shocked to say the least. But soon he forgot you were here and we started talking.

As soon as Erik had finished talking, the pair heard Annabelle's stomach growling.

"Looks like you're hungry. Come" Erik said and held out his hand.

Annabelle looked up at him and soon took his hand. Erik led her to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her.

"I'll make us a meal before the Masquerade tonight." Erik said.

Annabelle simply sat at the table and watched Erik cook dinner. Erik decided to make some steak and potatoes before they left. Erik seasoned the steaks and placed them on the skillet to cook. He turned around to Annabelle.

"How do you like your steak?"

"Medium rare."

With that simple answer, Erik continued cooking the steaks until they were done. He also took out the peeled potatoes out of the boiling water in the pot. Once the steaks were done, he placed them on separate plates and also placed the potatoes on the plates. He brought Annabelle's plate to her and he placed his plate in front of his chair. Erik then sat down across from Annabelle where his plate was. The two ate their meals while they talked. They didn't talk about anything important but just small talk. By the time they were done with their meals, it was 4 o clock. But when they were done, they continued to talk and get to know each other a little more. They lost track of time talking and soon it got close to get ready for the Masquerade.

"So, you were chased by monkeys when you were little? And you ran around screaming because you thought they were going to eat you?" Erik said laughing with tears coming down his eyes.

"Hey! It's not funny, that's a terrifying event for a 5 year old!" Annabelle said with tears streaming down her face as well.

"What happened when you found your mother?" Erik asked. His laughter had turned into small chuckles.

"I found my mom and my dad and my dad picked me up and shooed the monkeys away. I was still crying over the whole ordeal!" Annabelle said with small giggles.

"Looks like your dad was a hero." Erik stated.

"Was. That's the key word there, was." Annabelle said.

"You said you had some good memories of your father?" Erik questioned

"That's one of the only ones I actually remember. My mom told me about most of them. But, I don't want to talk about him." Annabelle said, changing the subject.

"What time is it?" Annabelle asked

"It is a little after 5." Erik said.

"A little after 5?! Erik! I need to get ready!" Annabelle exclaimed, quickly getting up.

"Hold on Annabelle. First I have to show you something. Follow me." Erik said.

He then started walking in the direction of his room. He stopped right before his door and turned around.

"Wait here." He told her.

Erik slipped through the door. Annabelle stood at the very spot were Erik told her to until he came out. She heard doors opening and closing, footsteps, and rustling of fabric. He soon came out with a white bag that had a zipper in the front. He held it in front of him with the zipper facing Annabelle.

"Open it." Erik said motioning to the zipper.

Annabelle slowly opened the bag, anticipating what was inside. Once she fully opened the bag, she gasped in amazement.

"Erik." She breathed.

Inside the bag was gorgeous masquerade dress. The underskirt was a rich blue color and the overskirt had fabric like shimmering water and sea foam. The dress was studded with iridescent crystals. It had off the shoulder sleeves that were white. It had a matching white mask that had the crystals dangling from the mask on the left side. The mask only covered the area around Annabelle's eyes. The dress had corresponding white gloves that went above the elbow. Since Erik knew about Annabelle's height issues, he included blue flats with iridescent crystals to match the dress.

"Oh my god Erik. You got this for me?" Annabelle asked breathless.

"I did." Erik replied.

"When? How? Erik it's beautiful." Annabelle.

"Well 3 months ago, when I told you I had to go run some errands, I actually went to Madame Giry's office and I told her to get this dress made. I had it sketched it out to the very last thread. Every month after that I checked in with her to see how it was coming. Then that day when you got upset that I wouldn't let you get a dress, I had actually picked it up. I had to act like I was being protective of you so that I could keep it a secret." Erik said.

"Wow Erik. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." Annabelle said.

She then went in and hugged Erik and Erik hugged her back. They pulled away and Erik handed her the dress.

"You better go get ready. The masquerade starts soon." Erik said.

Annabelle then took the dress and ran to her room to get ready.

Annabelle put the dress down gently on her bed. She walked over to where her mirror was stared at her reflection. After a few minutes of planning of what she wanted to do, she got to work. She started on her hair and decided to leave it down. She created a small braid on both sides of her head starting from above her ear that went around the backside of her head. It created a braided headband look with 2 braids. She had curled the ends of her hair the night before, so it created loose waves. She then got started on her makeup. She created a smokey eye look on her eyes that used a variety of blues that matched her dress. She then winged her eyeliner slightly and she also applied mascara. She put a light pink natural color on her lips. She then applied foundation and didn't bother with blush since she could never apply it correctly. She then went on to put on her dress. She didn't bother with a corset since she didn't see the point in putting one on, especially a woman of her size. She put on the dress delicately; worrying that one little move could destroy it. Once the dress was on, she put on the gloves as well. She then carefully put on the mask; she tucked the string under her braids so that it wasn't visible. Once everything was put into place, she slipped on her shoes and went off to find Erik. Annabelle left her room and went into the organ room to find Erik pacing back and forth. She stood back and observed him. He was clenching and unclenching his fists in a nervous manner. She decided to make herself known so she walked into the organ room and waited until he saw her. After he made his second way back, he stopped immediately when he saw Annabelle. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor and he couldn't stop staring at her. The dress complimented her in all the right places, her make up accentuated her face perfectly, and her hair cascaded down her back beautifully. The mask framed her face and blended in with the whole dress. She looked absolutely beautiful; all thoughts of Christine had quickly vanished and had been replaced with thoughts of Annabelle. Annabelle, not used to this kind of attention looked around her and at her dress.

"What are you staring at? Is there something wrong?" Annabelle asked, still looking around.

Erik walked towards her, still in amazement at how she looked.

"No, you look amazing Annabelle. No woman tonight will look as exceptional as you look." Erik said.

"Except Christine of course." Annabelle added.

"Oh right, yes." Erik said, thinking about if Christine could really pass up Annabelle's beauty.

Did he really mean what he said? Would Christine really look as beautiful as Annabelle tonight? Annabelle quickly snapped him out of his thoughts.

"You ready?" Annabelle asked.

"What?" Erik replied, not hearing what she had said.

"Are you ready to go? It's a quarter till 8." Annabelle said.

"Oh yes, of course. Let's go." Erik said.

The pair took the passage that led to the main staircase of the Opera Populaire. This was the beginning of a very interesting night.

 **Well that's it for Chapter 12! The next chapter will be the actual Masquerade and I'm so excited! If anybody is interested in knowing what Annabelle's dress looks like, here is the link. I tried my best to describe it. search?q=1800%27s+masquerade+ball+gowns &safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1204&bih=682&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwis3eGmwujKAhUKOCYKHdLVCYAQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=EZAt0Vx7UlozYM%3A**

 **Here are the shoes, just imagine the background matches the underskirt of the dress.**

 **search?q=1800%27s+flats &safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1209&bih=437&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfiO6h6-jKAhWDSiYKHX22DIkQ_AUIBygC#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=iridescent+crystal+flats&imgrc=P20pOE3lNUlv-M%3A**

 **I felt like the dress fits her perfectly. Anyway, see you in the next one!**

 **-S**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's Chapter 13! So so sorry about the wait! I have from this chapter to chapter 17 done but I just keep forgetting to upload, again really sorry about the wait! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! Nothing else except *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine.**

Annabelle and Erik used the passage that they used earlier in the morning. They quickly slipped in and they party was in full swing. Annabelle stared in amazement, there were hundreds of people in colorful costumes eating, drinking, dancing, and singing. She had never seen a sight like the one she was appearing before her. Meanwhile Erik began scanning the room for Christine, but it appeared that she wasn't there yet. Erik paid his attention back to Annabelle while she was still looking around the ballroom. Erik nudged Annabelle with his shoulder and she looked at Erik. Erik then held out his arm with a smirk on his face.

"Shall we?" He asked.

"We shall." Annabelle responded.

She took Erik's open arm and the two began walking into the ballroom. As they walked in, almost everyone in the room stopped and looked at Annabelle. This didn't get by unnoticed by Erik and Annabelle. Annabelle looked around to see what they were actually looking at.

"Erik, what are they looking at?" Annabelle asked.

"They would be looking at you _mon belle_." Erik replied.

"What why? I'm just another person that's come to dance." Annabelle said.

"Well, everyone here has somewhat of a clue who everyone is, but you. No one knows who you are." Erik simply stated.

"Well I don't like the attention, it freaks me out."

"I guess we will have to dance to blend in then." He said with a smirk

He then held out his hand for Annabelle to take, which she did. The two walked into the crowd on the dance floor and started dancing to the music being played. Soon enough, everyone turned his or her attention back to dancing, eating, and drinking.

"Thank you." Annabelle said looking into Erik's eye's as they danced.

"What are you thanking me for?" Erik asked.

"For everything. Taking me in, protecting me on some cases, the clothes you've given me, and for letting me come here. It means a lot." Annabelle said.

"Everything a man should do when a mysterious woman magically appears in his home. But, you're welcome." Erik replied.

The two continued to dance until 9 o clock when Erik noticed Christine and Raoul walk in. He tensed up on instinct and Annabelle noticed. Annabelle not knowing what had happened began searching the ballroom but couldn't find what he was looking at.

"Erik? What's wrong?" Annabelle asked, turning Erik's attention towards her.

"She's here." Erik said, nodding his head in the direction where Christine was.

Annabelle turned her head around and sure enough saw Christine and Raoul hand in hand staring at the party before them.

"I'm going to leave now Annabelle. If she sees me, she will recognize me. Enjoy yourself, I'll be watching and remember to meet where we said we would at 10 o clock." Erik said.

"But Erik-" Annabelle started, but Erik had already torn out of her grasp and disappeared. Annabelle was left alone on the middle of the dance floor. She quickly made her way to the refreshments table to get out of sight. But Erik's absence had been noticeable to several men; little did she know that she caught the attention of one man she didn't like.

Erik watched in the shadows as several men tried to push through the crowd to get to Annabelle. Something was burning deep inside him. Jealousy? Sadness? Anxiousness? Confusion? The list went on and on as he thought about the men who would try and woo their way into Annabelle's heart.

 _What do these feelings mean?_ He wondered.

But he did feel a little better about the current situation when he remembered what Annabelle had told him that first night she was with him.

 _Love is for fools. I don't need a man to take care of me. I'm too independent for that._

But when he saw the face one of the men trying to make their way to her, he felt a strong sense of rage building up inside him.

Annabelle had simply gone over to get refreshment but as she was getting her drink, when she felt several pairs of eyes on her. She turned around and saw 2-3 men making their way to her, pushing several people out of the way in the process.

"Oh hell no." Annabelle said to herself.

She quickly put down her drink and made her way around the ballroom to get out of sight. But she only got halfway across the room when she felt someone lightly grab her arm. She turned around and saw a man had grabbed her. The man had dark hair with grey hairs in several places, a thick mustache that was same color as his hair, he was around the same height as her, and he had dark blue eyes. He looked to be in his early 40's late 30's. She looked at him and then his hand that was wrapped around her arm. She felt a sense of recognition but she couldn't put her finger on a name.

" _Monsieur_ , if you would so kindly let go of my arm, that would be wonderful. I would hate to break a man's fingers at a Masquerade." Annabelle said, staring daggers into his eyes.

The man laughed; ignoring her requests he still held on to her arm.

" _Mademoiselle_ , I come only to ask for a dance." The man said, flashing a perfect white smile.

Annabelle twisted her arm out of his grasp and then grabbed his arm and put it in a painful hold behind his back. He gasped and was soon cowering under her. She bent down and whispered into his ear.

" _Monsieur_ , one thing you should know about me, is that I don't like to be grabbed. Another thing you should know, I'm more than capable of killing a man who doesn't listen. Grab me again and I will punch you so hard that your perfect little face and white teeth will be damaged beyond repair." She sneered

She then let go of his arm and fixed her dress. The man stood up straight again and shook his arm to regain feeling in it.

"Please, only one dance and I will leave you alone the rest of the night." The man pleaded.

Annabelle rolled her eyes and groaned loudly. She looked around and saw the other men staring at the pair.

"Fine, but only one dance. Hopefully these other men will get the message." She said.

The man held out his hand and she took it. He took her to the middle of the dance floor and the two began dancing.

" _Mademoiselle_ , I don't think I've seen you before. I would surely remember a beautiful face as yours." He asked, flashing another smile.

"Let's just say I'm new in Paris." She said.

"Where do you come from?"

"America."

"That's where the accent comes from."

"Everyone always says that! Is it that noticeable?" She said.

The man simply laughed in return.

"I'm afraid it is." He said.

The two said nothing more until the dance was over. When the dance had ended, the man bowed and took her hand and then kissed it, his lips lingering on her hand longer than they should have been.

"Thank you for the dance _Monsieur-_ " Annabelle started.

"De Chagny. Phillip Comte de Chagny." He interrupted her with a smug smile on his lips.

Her eyes tripled in size. She just danced with the Comte de Chagny, the man she absolutely hated in the book. No wonder he looked familiar to her, he looked exactly like the description from the book.

" _Mademoiselle_? May I get your name? Phillip asked.

"That is for me to know and for you to never find out." Annabelle said.

She then quickly walked away from him. She started heading to where Erik said they'd meet. Surely he saw what just happened? He would be there? Right? Annabelle looked over her shoulder several times and saw that indeed Phillip was following her. She then busted into a full on sprint. Once she got to their meeting place, Erik was nowhere to be found.

"Erik?" Annabelle whispered.

She turned her head and saw him still following her.

"Erik! Help! Where are you?" Annabelle whispered louder.

She turned her full body around to see Phillip getting closer. Suddenly, the secret passage door opened and Erik grabbed her and pulled her in. He then closed the door and put his hand over her mouth. He looked through a peephole to see Philip run up right outside the door looking for Annabelle. Soon when he couldn't find her, he went back to the party looking confused. Erik removed his hand from her mouth and backed away from her.

"Thank you. Again." Annabelle said bent over trying to catch her breath.

"Why were you dancing with the Comte?" Erik asked, raising his voice a little bit.

"I didn't know he was the Comte! I figured if I just danced with a random man, it would send the others away. Especially after I nearly broke his arm." She said, laughing at the end.

"I would have killed him if Christine wasn't there." Erik said, fuming.

"Don't worry, I wanted to. But I would prefer not to be a wanted woman in the 1800's." She replied.

The two took a minute to catch their breaths and calm down.

"Good job on the hold by the way. You were terrifying." Erik said with a proud smile.

"Thank you. I was pretty proud of myself. The look on his face was priceless. " Annabelle said.

"Are you ready to head back down?" Erik asked.

"Yeah sure, I need a fucking drink after tonight's events." Annabelle said.

The pair then started to head down to lair talking about that night's events. Once they arrived, Annabelle went straight to the kitchen to get a glass of whiskey. Meanwhile, Erik went to go change into his Red Death costume. Annabelle took her glass of whiskey into her room and went ahead and changed into a nightgown Erik had. She put her dress and shoes back into it's designated bag and put it in the closet. She then slipped on the nightgown. She then went to a mirror in the room and took out the braids in her hair.

"Did I bring a hair tie when I landed here?" Annabelle wondered.

She then went to looking around the room for a hair tie that she may or may not have brought down with her. She was just about to give up until she looked under the bed and found one.

"Ha ha, found you! You little fucker." Annabelle laughed.

She then got back up and proceeded to put her hair up into a messy bun to get her hair out of her face. Annabelle went to the bathroom and washed the makeup off of her face, which took a solid 15 minutes since she put so much on. Once she felt comfortable enough, she grabbed her whiskey and made her way to the library. She sat herself down on the couch grabbed a book.

Meanwhile, Erik was in his room putting on his Red Death costume. He carefully put on everything, as he was anxious of his arrival to the party. Once everything was in place, he went off to find Annabelle to tell her that he was leaving. He went to her room and found that she wasn't there, so he moved to the kitchen and found that she wasn't there either. He then moved on to the library and when he saw her, his breath hitched in his throat. He didn't know how she could've been more beautiful than she was at the ball. Her legs were tucked underneath her and she had her arm leaning against the arm of the couch as she was supporting her head. She had her hair bundled up on top of her head and her natural beauty was once again uncovered by makeup. She was so enthralled into her book, it almost seemed as if she could transfer into the book's world.

Annabelle soon looked up and saw Erik by the doorway.

"Hey Erik. You headed off?" She asked, talking slowly and quietly. Signaling she was tired.

"Ah yes. I should be back soon as it will only take a few minutes. I suggest that you go to bed; it's been a long day. For both of us." He said.

"Yeah yeah, I'll finish up this chapter and my whiskey and head to bed." She replied.

Erik simply nodded his head, turned around, and left the room to go make his surprise appearance at the ball.

Not long after Erik had left, Annabelle had finished her whiskey and her chapter and was about to get up to go to bed but she heard footsteps coming from the organ room. Annabelle sat back down and waited for the unexpected visitor. She had thought it was Nadir coming down to talk to both she and Erik, but someone else completely walked into the library.

"Who are you?!" The person screamed.

 **And that is going to end Chapter 13! I'm sure most of you probably know who this person is but don't ruin it for the people that don't! Anyway the next chapter will go into who this person is, Erik's appearance, Erik's return, and rehearsals! See you in the next one!**

 **-S**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok, I am so so so sorry about not updating! I have almost the rest of the chapters done and I just forgot to update the story! Anyway, I'm so so sorry about the long wait. Here's chapter 14! *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

 _Previously on The Phantom and the Texan…_

 _She had thought it was Nadir coming down to talk to both she and Erik, but someone else completely walked into the library._

 _"Who are you?!" The person screamed._

"Madame Giry?" Annabelle asked, suddenly getting up and slowly making her way to the woman.

"How do you know my name? I have never seen you before!" Madame Giry asked.

"Long story, one that I do not wish to tell again." Annabelle said.

"Did the Phantom kidnap you? Are you held here against your will?" She asked.

"What? No! I've been here for the past 7 months, I'm helping him." Annabelle said.

"Helping him? How?" Madame Giry questioned.

"With Christine, I'm trying to help him become a better man so that Christine can come to see that." Annabelle insisted.

"But she loves the Vicomte and is engaged to him."

"I know, but I want him to know that he tried and that he is a better man after all of this."

"A better man? He killed Buquet during-"

"I killed Buquet." Annabelle interrupted.

"You what?" She asked, surprised.

"I killed Buquet, not Erik. He tried to assault me and Erik had put the noose over his head but I was the one that pushed him over the edge." Annabelle said defeated.

"But everyone thinks Erik did it."

"Yes, because Erik thought it would be best if people thought he did it instead of me. It was more believable. I argued with him saying that if Christine knew he didn't do it, she wouldn't be that scared of him."

"She's told me she has seen his face. Have you?"

"I have, the first week I was down here. It accidently came off when I punched him in the face."

"You were not scared of it?" Madame Giry asked, amazed.

"No, nothing that I haven't seen before. In fact, I have seen worse."

"What do you mean you have seen worse? You haven't answered my first question, who are you?"

"Madame, I am not from here. I am from America and I'm from the year 2015. My name is Annabelle Fowler." Annabelle said.

Madame Giry laughed in response.

"Silly girl, you can't be from the year 2015. That's impossible."

Annabelle groaned in response.

"I'll be back." Annabelle said and then left to go to her room and pick up her phone.

She came back with the phone in her hand and held it in front of Madame Giry and turned it on.

"This is called an IPhone where I am from. Blah blah blah, future technology. I can basically communicate with people from all over without writing letters or seeing them face-to-face." Annabelle.

She then turned off the phone and put it away.

"Anyway, as I was saying. The Phantom of the Opera is a famous story. There are many film adaptions, musicals, plays, and books. I somehow got transported here from my time to try and help Erik. And there are many versions of Erik's face, all of which I've seen." Annabelle said, finishing her story.

"This does not make any sense!" Madame Giry exclaimed.

"Madame, I know it doesn't. I'm not asking you to believe me, I just want to keep my presence here a secret. That is all I ask." Annabelle pleaded.

"Very well. Your secret is safe with me. Now I must go back up as I am probably being missed. It was nice to meet you." Madame Giry said.

"Back at you Madame." Annabelle replied.

Then Madame Giry left Erik's home and went back up to the surface. Annabelle then proceeded to pick up her book and continue reading until Erik had come back down. Not 15 minutes later she heard candelabras being thrown and music stands being knocked down. Annabelle groaned and got up. She slowly made her way to the organ room to find Erik pacing. He had changed out of his costume and changed back into his normal attire. She could've sworn she saw smoke coming out of his ears. He was furious.

"Erik?" She called out.

No answer. Erik was still pacing and knocking things down.

"Erik?" She called out a little louder.

Still no answer.

She slowly made her way up to him.

"Erik, are you ok?" She called out louder than before.

No answer. But as she got closer to him, she could hear him mumbling.

"Engaged. Engaged. Engaged to that fop? I'm the reason she is star. She should love me not him. I noticed her when she was nothing!" Erik said, yelling louder.

Erik picked up and threw a music stand with so much force that it went flying into the lake.

Annabelle once again, slowly made her way up to Erik. He was still pacing and he hadn't noticed her. She then very slowly came up behind Erik and reached out. She started to touch his shoulders.

"Erik?-"

SLAP!

Annabelle fell to the floor, her back facing Erik. Her hair fell out of the bun it was in and it fell down her back. She reached up to touch her face and quickly flinched when she came to realize that his ring cut her cheek. She then could taste blood pool in her mouth. She spit out the blood on the floor.

"Damn you Christine! Have you finally come back to your Angel? Have you shown me pity? Well Christine, I don't need your pity! Now that you're here, you won't be leaving! You will never see that insolent fop again! As a matter of fact, you will never see the light of day again! You'll have to live with me and love me like I love you Christine!" Erik yelled, his voice getting closer and closer.

 _He thinks I'm Christine; he's gone mad._ Annabelle thought as she was lying on the floor.

Annabelle then, slowly got up with her back still facing Erik. She gently cradled her face in her hand. She felt more blood pool into her mouth as well as her tears. She spit the blood out again. She could hear Erik's heavy breathing behind her. She slowly turned around and saw Erik's face turn from angry, to confusion, to recognition, and then finally to horror.

"Annabelle." He whispered.

Annabelle said nothing; she simply started to walk past him, too shocked to say anything to him. Erik reached out and caught her arm.

"Annabelle, I'm so-" Erik started.

Annabelle aggressively pulled her arm away from his grasp.

"Fuck you Erik! You're sorry? Is that supposed to make me feel better? Is that supposed to make the cut on my cheek go away? I mean, what the hell Erik?! You thought I was fucking Christine, whom you just saw 2 minutes ago on the surface! Why in the hell would she be down here!? You know how I take getting beat up. You fucking know!" Annabelle yelled, now crying.

Erik started walking toward her and but Annabelle put her arm out in front of her.

"No! Don't touch me." Annabelle said.

She then took a deep shaky breath.

"I think it's best if you stay away from me for the next few days. You're unpredictable right now and I need to keep myself safe and this is the only way I know how." Annabelle said, struggling to get the words out.

"But Anna-" Erik started to say, feeling his own tears traveling down his face.

"Please Erik." Annabelle pleaded, sounding defeated.

The two said nothing more as Annabelle made her way to her room. He could hear her soft footsteps getting softer and softer until he heard a door shut.

Erik stood there in horror. He couldn't move, he could only feel more hot tears traveling down his face. Erik then made his way back to his room and shut the door behind him. Both Annabelle and Erik did nothing more that night. The lair was dead silent for hours until the next morning. Annabelle awoke to yelling but it wasn't just Erik's voice, Nadir's voice was also included. Annabelle got out of bed and put on her normal jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and converse. She opened her door and walked past the organ room where they both were and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. But she listened closely to their conversation

Meanwhile Erik and Nadir were in a heated argument over the things that have happened in the past 12 hours. Erik had fallen asleep after he heard Annabelle's crying go silent. Erik then woke up a few hours later and went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, but he found that there was someone else in the kitchen. It was Nadir.

"Nadir?" Erik asked, making sure it was him.

"Ah Erik, so glad you have woken up. We have many things to discuss." Nadir said with a smug smile.

"Daroga, I'm not in the mood today." Erik mumbled.

"Well Erik, you better get in the mood. Because I'm not leaving." Nadir stated

"Let me drink some water before we start." Erik said, making his way toward the sink with a glass.

He filled up a glass of water and downed it quickly.

"Alright Daroga, lets discuss in the organ room." Erik said, leaving the kitchen and making his way toward the organ room with Nadir close behind.

Once in the organ room, the two started discussing.

"What is it that you want to discuss?" Erik started.

"Your requests that you made at the Masquerade, that's where I want to start."

"And what about them Daroga?"

"They're ridiculous Erik! You're going to drive the girl into insanity! As well as cause a riot!"

"As long as she performs, she will be fine! The performance will go on perfectly. What is the big deal?"

"You're asking the impossible Erik! I can only protect you from so much!'

"Damn it Daroga, I don't need protecting. My life's work is and will be performed!"

"Erik, you're not listening to me! I can't protect you from both of the De Chagny brothers! You basically told everyone that Annabelle is with you! She's now a target for the Comte; he wants her! He thinks you're holding her hostage. He thinks that her call for help was at the masquerade when she fled and that you brainwashed her. He's determined to rescue her." Nadir shouted.

"I what?" Erik asked confused

"You don't remember what you requested, do you?

"Yes I remember! I requested the managers to stay out of the way, for Piangi to lose weight, for Carlotta to learn to actually act, and that Christine will be the lead role! That's it."

"No Erik, that isn't it!"

Erik's instantly face paled.

"Daroga, what did I say?"

 _"Why so silent good monsieur's? Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me good monsieur? I have written you an opera! Here I bring the finished score, Don Juan Triumphant! I advise you to comply, my instructions should be clear. Remember there are worse things than a shattered chandelier! A few instructions just before rehearsals start. Carlotta must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting around the stage. Our Don Juan must lose some weight; it's not healthy in a man of Piangi's age. And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts. As for miss Christine Daae, no doubt she'll do her best. It's true her voice is good. She knows though should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn, if pride will let her return to me, her teacher, her teacher. Now a message to Phillip Comte de Chagny, you will stay away from Annabelle Fowler. You will not look for her, follow her if you see her, or take her away. If you do, you will face the consequences. She's mine!"_

 _Erik then turned to face Christine again._

 _"Your chains are still mine, you will sing for me!"_

 _He then vanished before everyone's eyes._

"You what?!" Annabelle screamed.

Both Erik and Nadir turned to Annabelle who was in the back of organ room. She was soon marching up to the both of them.

"I know I'm not talking to you right now, but why in the hell would you say that? He's going to be on the lookout for me now!" Annabelle practically screamed.

"Annabelle, last night was a blur for me. When I saw that Christine and Raoul were engaged, it infuriated me. I got so angry that I don't remember half of the things I did. I snapped out of it when I realized I hit you."

"You did what Erik?" Nadir asked, shocked at what he heard.

"I'll explain it to you later." Erik dismissed Nadir.

"Erik, he now knows my name and what I look like, at least with a mask on. What's going to happen when he realizes where I am?! He already thinks I'm brainwashed and that I need help, he'll take me away thinking he's doing me good. God Erik, what were you thinking?" Annabelle asked.

"I wasn't thinking Annabelle! That's the point! You know, maybe if you hadn't danced with Comte, maybe you wouldn't be included in this mess!" Erik yelled back.

"Excuse me?"

"You danced with the Comte, furthering his interest in you!"

"Yes, but I didn't even know it was the Comte! He also saw us dancing and when YOU left, he approached me. YOU were the one that also got me the dress!"

"Yes, but YOU wanted to go to the Masquerade. YOU begged me to take you!"

"So it's my fault that the Comte is interested in me? It's my fault that this happened?!" Annabelle questioned.

"Yes! It is!" Erik roared.

"Erik!" Nadir cut in.

"Stay out of it Nadir!" Erik yelled back.

"No Nadir, you're fine. This conversation is over." Annabelle cut in.

Erik said nothing else, still thinking he was right. Annabelle simply looked at him and then left the room to go to the kitchen. Once Annabelle was out of sight and hearing range, Nadir gave Erik a glare.

"What Nadir?" Erik growled.

"Erik, what the hell did you mean by, you hit her?"

"I was so upset and angry. I couldn't think straight, so when I felt a pair of hands touch my back, I thought it was Christine trying to take my mask off again. The memory replayed in my head and I hit Annabelle across the face. I cut her cheek with my ring and she cut the inside of her mouth. She spit out blood twice before turning towards me. Once I saw her face, I couldn't breathe. I regretted my actions immediately and I didn't know how she was going to respond. Then she was so angry and hurt, she was scared of me in that moment. She wants us to stay away from each other for a couple of days." Erik said.

"Erik, do you realize what you have just done?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have just possibly run off the one good thing you have had in a while. She has been there for you through it all so far, and you have been there for her. But hitting her and putting all the blame on her has crossed the line Erik. You're going to have to figure this out for yourself from now on. Anything I say goes right over your head, the only person who can get to you is Annabelle and she isn't talking to you right now." Nadir finally said, hoping to catch Erik's attention.

Erik simply stared at Nadir and was digesting what he had said to him. Nadir then patted Erik on the shoulder and left the lair. Erik didn't know how long he stood there, replaying all the events of the past 24 hours in his head.

Erik then knew, right then and there what he needed to do.

 **Whoah, what a long chapter! I just kept adding and adding to this chapter until it got really big and then I realized I needed to end it! So, here's a super long chapter to make up for the two short chapters! Anyway, looks like it's gotten crazy and it's about to get more crazy. See you guys in the next one!**

 **-S**


	15. Chapter 15

**Woohoo! Chapter 15, can't believe I made it this far! First and fore most, I am so so sorry I am taking forever updating. I promise the chapters are done, I just always forget to upload them and post them. Things have been hectic lately with school being let out, working everyday, and just always having something to do. I am really going to try and stay on top of writing and uploading since I actually love writing this story. Lastly, thank you guys so much for reading, favoriting, and following! I was really skeptical at first about writing and releasing this story, but I'm really glad I did. Nothing else except, *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story! **

Several days passed and rehearsals were in full swing for Erik's opera. Everyone was jumpy throughout the opera house, fearing the wrath of the Opera Ghost. Erik only gave the cast a week to rehearse and perfect his opera. Christine never stayed at the opera house longer than 2 hours, fearing she would be taken again. She was always under Raoul's watch. But Raoul wasn't the only de Chagny brother hanging around the opera house; Phillip spent large amounts of time in the opera house as well. Everyday he would stay from the moment they opened to the moment they kicked him out. He looked in every room, closet, and crevice he could find but to no avail, Annabelle was nowhere to be found. He asked every person that came across them and told them about this mysterious and beautiful girl he danced with at the masquerade. But no one knew who she was and where he could find her. They all assumed she went back to America since that is where she was from, but Philippe had a feeling she was still in Paris somewhere.

Meanwhile, under the surface, it was dead silent. Erik and Annabelle didn't talk to each other or see each other during those days. Erik was always on the surface, watching rehearsals and Annabelle stayed under the surface cooking, cleaning, and practicing. With the help of Madame Giry, Annabelle was able to get some more clothes. Annabelle now wore black trousers that fit like her skinny jeans, a loose white blouse that was long sleeve and black riding boots. This kept her warm in the cold catacombs of the opera house.

Today felt no different than any other day. Erik went up to the surface to watch rehearsals and Annabelle stayed downstairs. Annabelle cleaned up around the lair and she cooked herself meals throughout the day. Annabelle then decided to take a short nap so that's what she did. She awoke 1 hour later and decided to go up to the surface and check out what was going on. She went up near the stage and saw that there was a large commotion going on. She heard several discussions going on but she then saw Raoul barge into the opera house throwing a fit.

"Where's Christine?! Where did she go?!" He came in screaming.

"She went to the cemetery." A distance voice replied.

Raoul then nodded his head in the direction that the voice came from. He then ran out to the stables and went after her. Annabelle then froze on the spot, knowing exactly where this was heading.

"Oh shit." She mumbled to herself.

She then ran back down to the catacombs and went to Caesar's stall. She grabbed her cloak and put it on. She made sure to pull the hood up enough so people wouldn't see her face. She opened the stall door and grabbed a bridle. Once the bridle was on, she jumped up onto Caesar's back.

"Alright Caesar, I was never good at bareback. So take care of me and I'll make sure to give you extra hay." Annabelle said to the horse.

She then kicked the horse into motion and rode through the underground lair. She found the secret passage that led right outside the opera house. Once the door was open, she urged the horse to go. Caesar went into a full run, Annabelle was hoping and praying Erik was going to be ok as she rode toward the cemetery.

"Dear God, please let Erik be alright. Please protect him." She prayed.

She kept urging the horse on as she rode through the forest, getting to the cemetery. As she neared the cemetery, she heard swords crashing against each other.

"Come on Caesar." She spoke softly to the horse. Urging it faster and faster

She neared the cemetery gate and was happy to see it open. She urged Caesar more through the cemetery to get to Raoul and Erik. She finally found Erik and Raoul, and Erik was on the ground with Raoul on top of him. Annabelle quickly jumped off of Caesar and ran toward the pair. Just as Raoul was about strike Erik, Annabelle crouched and slid in front of Erik, her back facing Raoul. With Annabelle in the way, Raoul missed Erik and he pierced the snow. He angrily got his sword back and was ready to strike.

"Get back _Viscount_ , if you know what's good for you." Annabelle growled, her back still facing Raoul.

"Move out of the way _mademoiselle_. I do not want to hurt you." Raoul said to Annabelle.

"I said, get back!" Annabelle yelled back.

Raoul then moved forward and grabbed Annabelle's shoulder and attempted to shove her out of the way. But Annabelle thought quickly and kicked Raoul back, making him stumble backwards. He then fell on his back; his sword flew a ways from him. Annabelle then grabbed Erik's sword and stood over Raoul with Erik's sword at his neck. She kept her head down and to the side so that Raoul wouldn't see her face.

"Leave now. Before I kill both of you!" Annabelle yelled at both Raoul and Christine.

Raoul stumbled back onto his feet and reached for his sword. Annabelle quickly put her foot on it.

"Ah ah ah. Little boys shouldn't be playing with knives. Now go! Get out of here!" Annabelle screamed.

Raoul stood there looking back at Christine and telling her to get back on the horse. He then looked at Annabelle for a second and walked toward her slowly, trying to get a good look at her face. Annabelle looked up for a split second and Raoul's eyes tripled in size.

"You're the girl my brother has been looking for. You're the masked woman he danced with." Raoul simply said.

Annabelle rushed up to him and grabbed his shirt collar with both hands and pulled him toward her until their faces were inches apart.

"Speak of this to no one, I do not wish to see your brother, you, or Christine again! If I hear that you told anyone about this, I will come back and find you. Do you understand me?" Annabelle growled into his face.

Raoul simply nodded in response too scared to speak.

"Good, now leave!" Annabelle roared, shoving him backwards.

Raoul ran up to the horse Christine was on and the two rode away back to the opera house.

Annabelle smirked as the two ran off.

"What cowards." Annabelle said

Annabelle turned back and looked at Erik who was still lying on the ground. She walked over to him and held her hand out to him. Erik grabbed her hand and Annabelle pulled him up. Erik dusted himself off, trying to buy time on what to say to her. He looked up at her to see her staring at him.

"Thank you." Erik said.

"Um, you're welcome." Annabelle replied softly.

"How did you know I was here?" Erik asked.

"I went up to the surface to check on things and I heard that Christine went to the cemetery. So I knew you would be here."

Then there was an awkward silence between the two, but then Annabelle felt a sharp stinging pain in her upper left arm. She hissed in pain. Erik became worried and walked towards her slowly. Annabelle pushed her cloak out of the way and lifted her shirt arm. It revealed a nasty cut; large amounts of blood ran down her arm.

"Well that explains the pain. Raoul must have cut me when he missed." Annabelle observed.

"May I?" Erik asked.

Annabelle nodded and Erik went up to her and observed the cut.

"It's very deep. It's going to need stitches." Erik said.

"Ok." Annabelle replied softly.

"How did you get here?" Erik asked.

"Caesar. I'll go find him and ride him back. You can just use what you took here." Annabelle said.

"Are you fit to ride?" He asked skeptically.

"I'm always fit to ride." Annabelle laughed.

"Well, I'll see you back at home." Erik said.

"Alright." Annabelle replied.

"Be safe." Erik added.

"You too." Annabelle yelled back.

Erik got back on the carriage he brought and rode back to the opera house.

Meanwhile, Annabelle began her search for Caesar throughout the cemetery. She went all the way to the back of the cemetery and found him there. She patted the horse on the neck and hopped on him. Once back on she secured her hood back on her head so that no one could see her face. She slowly walked back up to the entrance to the cemetery. But she suddenly heard fast horse hooves running toward the cemetery, she then heard a voice calling out names.

"Raoul!? Christine?! Where are you?" A voice yelled out.

The voice was oh so familiar, but she couldn't figure out who it was. She backed the horse behind a building and got off. She barely stuck her head out from behind the building and looked at the entrance. A single grey horse with a mane and tail as dark as night, ran into the cemetery. There was a man with a black cloak on and the hood covered his face. He stopped the horse once they were in the cemetery. He looked around and then took off the hood and uncovered his face. Annabelle gasped in shock. It was Phillip de Chagny.

 **Whoops! Looks like Phillip is crashing the party once again! Even though this is a kind of short chapter, this was my favorite one to write! I have been looking forward for weeks to write this chapter! The next chapter is probably going to be a favorite too! See you in the next one!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sigh…. Words cannot to begin to tell ya'll how unbelievably sorry I am at how delayed this is. I promise I didn't forget ya'll. Basically the computer that I had this story on, crashed. So I couldn't get it turn on for the life of me. So I gave up, I tried and tried to rewrite but I couldn't find the motivation to because it was pretty much done on the other computer. So literally yesterday I found a charger that would work for the laptop and low and behold it worked. I was barely able to get the story and email it to myself, so now it's all here! I am going to upload everything that I have so this NEVER happens again with this story. So here is the long awaited Chapter 16!**

 ***Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

 _Previously on The Phantom and the Texan…_

 _There was a man with a black cloak on and the hood covered his face. He stopped the horse once they were in the cemetery. He looked around and then took off the hood and uncovered his face. Annabelle gasped in shock. It was Phillip de Chagny._

She quickly retracted her head and hid behind the building. She heard him walk closer and closer to where she was but he stopped. Then the footsteps got farer and farer away until Caesar snorted loudly. The footsteps stopped. She looked out from her hiding spot and saw him turn around.

"Who's there? I know you're here! Show yourself!" He demanded.

"Shit." She mumbled.

She adjusted her hood to make sure it completely covered her face. She couldn't let him figure out it was her. She hopped onto to Caesar's back and kept her face straight so it didn't look like she was trying to completely hide her face but straight enough so that it did cover her face, She slowly walked out from behind the building, turned Caesar to face him, and stopped. She froze and she didn't make a single word. If she spook, he would recognize her voice.

"I apologize _mademoiselle_ , have you seen a woman and a man go through here?" He asked.

She pointed toward the gate.

He looked back and saw where she was pointing.

" _Merci_." He said.

She simply nodded back.

He was about to head out when a strong gust of wind came by. Suddenly Annabelle's hood flew off, she quickly tried to put it back on but she was too late. He saw her and recognized her.

"It's you!" He yelled, with an enormous grin on his face.

Annabelle had to think quickly. She had to lose him before he caught her. She turned Caesar around and ran deeper into the cemetery.

"Wait!" He yelled after her.

He then spurred his horse into a run and went after her.

She heard him running after her and she looked back. He was following her. She turned Caesar to the right and kept running. She looked back and saw that he was still following her. She then made a mad dash towards the exit of the cemetery. If she couldn't lose him in the cemetery, then she could lose him at the opera house. She urged Caesar on so she could quickly get back to the opera house.

"Come back! I want to help you!" He yelled.

"I don't need your help, you dumbass!" Annabelle yelled back.

He didn't listen and kept running after her. She urged Caesar faster and faster, trying to keep a good distance between the two. She saw Paris come into view and she saw the opera house. She urged the horse faster into town. She looked behind her and saw Phillip still following her. She quickly urged Caesar to the back of the opera house and found the secret entrance. She looked behind her and saw Phillip was a little ways away. She opened the entrance and quickly entered. She closed the door and locked it. She looked through the cracks and saw Phillip ride up and stop. He looked around and kept going forward. She breathed a sigh of relief. She then got off of Caesar and walked back down into the catacombs. She went to Caesar's stall, took off his bridle, and put him in it. She then put some extra hay in his stall and gave him fresh water. She gave the horse a pat on the neck, telling him good job.

"Well Caesar, thank you for taking care of me today. I need to get back so Erik doesn't have a panic attack." She told the horse.

She then left the stall and made her way to the lair. Upon entering, she found Erik pacing once again.

"Erik!" She yelled at him.

He stopped and looked at her and breathed a sigh of relief. He then rushed over to her and enveloped her in a huge hug.

"Oh! Hey Erik, good to see you too." Annabelle said awkwardly.

He pulled away and looked at her.

"Where were you?! I was so worried! What happened? I thought you were right behind me!" Erik exclaimed. He then lightly hit her on the arm in a joking manner.

"The Comte is what happened." Annabelle said.

Annabelle could've sworn she heard Erik growl.

"I found Caesar in the back of the cemetery after you left. So I got back on and started heading for an exit. I heard fast footsteps and someone yelling. And then low and behold the Comte runs in looking for Raoul and Christine. I hid behind a building hoping he would go away. But then Caesar just had to sneeze and it caught his attention. So I had to face him, but he didn't realize it was me until the wind blew my hood off. He saw my face and started chasing after me. Luckily I was able to make it to the secret entrance before he saw me. He's probably still trying to find me now. And that's about it." Annabelle explained.

Erik just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner.

"Alright, well go to the library. I still have to stitch your arm. I'll be there with the supplies." Erik said.

"Don't forget my whiskey." Annabelle added.

"How could I forget?" Erik replied with a smile.

Annabelle then headed back to the library and waited for Erik. This seemed like such a normal routine for them. Annabelle was always the one getting hurt and needing stitches. Most of it Erik inflicted, but it was something she was used to. It didn't take long for him to return, since everything was basically on standby. He handed her whiskey and then he wasted no time to start on her arm. While Erik was busy stitching her up, Annabelle was reading a book to pass the time. Soon enough, Erik finished.

"And, that's the last one." Erik said as he finished up her stitches.

Annabelle put down the book and looked at her arm.

"Thanks." Annabelle said.

"You're welcome, anything else?" He asked

"No, I'm good." Annabelle replied.

The two sat in awkward silence until Annabelle spoke up.

"Well this has been fun. I'm just going to go get me something to eat." Annabelle said.

She then proceeded to the leave the library.

"Annabelle wait." Erik said suddenly.

She stopped at the doorway and turned around.

"Yeah?" She asked.

Erik then approached Annabelle. Annabelle looked at him carefully.

"Annabelle, I'm so very sorry about what happened a few nights ago. I should've thought about my actions clearly. I should've calmed myself down. I shouldn't have hit you, I take full responsibility of my actions. And then I had no right to blame you about what happened with the Comte. I was the one who left you alone and vulnerable to other suitors. It's just, you have stuck with me for so long and for there to be some chance that you could be taken away from me. It's so terrifying. I can't bear to think about you leaving. Can you forgive me?" Erik asked.

Annabelle, shocked at his apology, couldn't come up with any words to respond to him. She just smiled warmly at him and then enveloped him in a large hug.

"Of course I can forgive you Erik." She whispered into his ear.

Erik then hugged her tighter.

"Thank you." He whispered back.

They broke apart and Annabelle wiped a lone tear that managed to roll down her cheek.

"Don't cry. Please. I hate seeing you cry." Erik pleaded, now wiping away her tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm not much of an emotional person. But lately, I guess I have." Annabelle replied.

Erik then dropped his hands to his sides once her tears were gone.

"So now what?" Annabelle asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do we do now? The performance is tomorrow and I already know Raoul is planning to kill both of us! What are we going to do?" Annabelle stated.

"Well you see Annabelle, I have a plan." Erik replied.

"Am I going to be let into this plan?" Annabelle asked.

"Why of course, it involves you."

"Who else does this plan involve?"

"Nadir as well, will be involved."

"Is Nadir coming over tonight so we will go over this plan?"

"Yes, he will be over in around an hour."

"Ok, I'm going to go get cleaned up and we can meet in the library."

"Sounds good."

Annabelle then left the main room and went to the bathroom to clean up. Erik decided to make them some dinner after their long day. He decided to make something simple, so he decided to make soup. While Annabelle was cleaning herself up, Erik began making the soup. Both of them didn't take long, as Annabelle was finishing up, Erik had already put the bowls in the library. Erik sat down at his usual chair and started eating. Once Annabelle had finished, she headed to the library. When she entered the library she sat down at the couch and started eating the soup Erik made. It wasn't long before Nadir had found his way to the library. He too, sat on the couch next to Annabelle.

"So, what was this urgent news you had to tell me Erik?" Nadir asked.

"It's about the performance tomorrow." Erik replied.

"He apparently has this great plan that he is going to reveal. It also involves us." Annabelle said to the Nadir.

"Does it now?" Nadir asked in a mocking manner.

"Daroga. Annabelle. Enough. This is serious." Erik said, clearly not amused.

"Well, get on with it then." Nadir insisted.

"We all know that Raoul is planning to kill me tomorrow. He thinks that I will watch the performance from my normal seat in Box 5. What he doesn't know is that I plan on performing in my own opera. I plan on knocking out Piangi so I can take his place. I will perform "The Point of No Return" with her and then kidnap her. This is where you two come in. Annabelle, Phillip will be looking for you and will plan on finding you. He's going to want to catch you and then come find me and kill me. You're going to distract him. You will show up to the opera and catch his attention-"

"Whoah whoah whoah. You want him to see me and come after me? Erik, I'm not comfortable with that. What if he has the police come after me too? What if they're all over the opera house? What if he catches me?" Annabelle interrupted, suddenly becoming panicked.

"That's not what's going to happen." Erik quickly said.

"Erik-"

"Annabelle, listen. I want him to see you from a far. You will sit in the front row; he'll be able to recognize you. Once he does, you're going to get up and leave the performance hall and go through the hallways. I want him occupied until I get Christine. You're just going to distract him for a while. You'll be able to escape him with the secret passageways. We will come up with a time to meet back down here. So if you're not down here by that time, I'll know and come find you. " Erik explained.

"I don't know Erik." Annabelle said.

"Do you trust me?" Erik asked.

"Of course." Annabelle replied.

"Then know that if something happens, I'll come and find you." Erik said.

"Ok." Annabelle replied softly.

"So what am I going to do?" Nadir asked.

"Soon after I take Christine, there is going to be a mob to come find me. I want you to lead that mob."

"What?!" Nadir screamed.

"Easy Daroga, I want you to lead them out of Paris. Meg and Madame Giry know where I live, so you just have to lead the rest of the mob out of the Opera House. I can deal with Raoul just fine." Erik replied.

"Ok Erik. But what do I do once the mob realizes I lead them away from you?"

"You take a carriage and you get the hell out of Paris. You've done enough for me. Send me a letter once you are gone and I'll send you funds to support your new life." Erik replied.

Nadir casted a glance a Annabelle who was nervously bouncing her leg up and down.

"Erik, can you get us some more drinks please?" Annabelle asked.

"Of course, I'll be right back." Erik said.

Once out of the room, Annabelle desperately looked at Nadir.

"What are we going to do?! I'll be transported to my world shortly after the whole Erik, Christine, and Raoul thing!" Annabelle said panicked.

"Don't worry. After the mob goes back to the Opera House, I will to. I'll make sure and go down to him after it has all happened. You won't have to worry about him." Nadir said.

"But I'll always worry about him." Annabelle said quietly.

"Why is that? I'll be here, you won't have to worry." Nadir replied.

"Because, I love him." Annabelle replied, tears now streaming down her face.

Nadir's eyes tripled in size.

"You what?" Nadir asked.

"I love him." Annabelle said again, louder.

"But-" Nadir started

"I got your drinks!" Erik said, now coming into the room.

Annabelle quickly bowed her head down, trying to hide her tears.

Erik then handed everyone their drinks and they began talking again. But Annabelle couldn't focus; she was still trying to process what she had just admitted. This was going to be a long night.

 **There ya go! Annabelle loves Erik, so now what?! Well, we'll see how Erik takes and we'll see how this story ends! See ya'll in the next one!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, I really don't have much say. As always, *Disclaimer* all characters are owned by ALW & Gaston Leroux. The OC is mine. On with the story!**

She was in a dark room, she couldn't see. She stood up and felt for a wall to support her.

"Hello? Anyone there?" She called out.

No answer.

Then a pair of golden eyes appeared across the room.

"Who's there?" She called out, walking towards the pair of eyes.

A man's laughter suddenly filled the room. She recognized that laugh; it was Erik's. The laugh sent chills down her spine, she suddenly felt very uneasy.

"Erik?" She called out again.

The glowing golden eyes started moving towards her. She became scared and started moving backwards.

"Don't be scared Annabelle, it's just me." His voice rang out in a menacing tone.

"Please Erik!" Annabelle screamed at him.

The room suddenly was engulfed in flames. It was quickly consuming the room. She then saw Erik at the other end of the room. He was in all black, even his mask. He wasn't moving to help her, he just watched. She started running towards him, but right before she reached him, a line of flames separated her and Erik. She looked behind her and saw the flames coming towards her.

"Erik! Help me!" Annabelle screamed out.

Erik's laugh filled the room once again.

"Why would I help you?" He asked.

"Please Erik! I love you!" Annabelle screamed out once again.

"You think I can love you? A damaged and weak whore? You thought wrong _mademoiselle_. I can only love one." Erik screamed back.

Christine then showed up by Erik's side. He held her against him at her waist.

"Erik! Please help me!" Annabelle screamed.

Erik and Christine then started laughing together at Annabelle. The flames started to slowly consume Annabelle, but the flames didn't hurt her. It was her heart as it slowly started to break, watching Erik and Christine with each other

Annabelle woke up shaking and sweating in her bed. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She slowly started to calm down as she caught her breath. She looked around and saw that she was in her room and in her bed. She swung her legs out from under the covers and placed them on the floor. She then stood up and walked out of the room to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water and downed it all in one swig. She then walked to the library to see if reading a book would help her sleep. When she walked into the library, she saw a large figure sitting on the armchair. She slowly walked up to the chair and looked at the figure's face, it was Erik. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should be sleeping." Erik said.

"Had a bad dream. What about you?" Annabelle replied.

"Too nervous about tonight."

"What time is it?" Annabelle asked.

"Around 1 in the morning."

"Oh, ok. Well I came in here to read to help me sleep." Annabelle stated.

"Feel free, I am doing the same."

Annabelle then walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a book and then sat down at her normal place on the couch.

The two read in silence for about 15 minutes until Annabelle's curiosity got the best of her.

"What are you nervous about exactly?" Annabelle asked, already anticipating the answer.

"Something going wrong, I feel like I have planned this to a T but I have a feeling something is going to go wrong." Erik said.

"I know how you feel." Annabelle added.

"Annabelle, if for chance that you were going to be put in any danger, I wouldn't have involved you." Erik responded.

"No Erik, it's not that. I can take care of myself. I just worry for you. I always worry. I wonder if I have done any good being down here. I feel like I haven't even made a difference in the story. I've just added things and perhaps made it worse. Lately, I feel like I can't think straight and I'm making stupid decisions. I feel like this is a bad idea and I'm just pumping more ideas into your head." Annabelle admitted.

"Anna." Erik cooed.

Annabelle quickly looked away from him, worrying she'll cry.

"Anna, look at me." Erik said once again, now moving next to her on the couch.

Annabelle then slowly turned her head slowly towards Erik. I single tear fell from her eye.

Erik wiped it off gently with his thumb.

"Anna, contrary to your belief, you have changed me. I realize my actions have consequences and that I have to control my temper. I've realized that killing is not the answer to my problems. You were the one that showed me these things." Erik said softly.

"Erik, what I'm about to ask you is going to piss you off. A lot." Annabelle said.

"Annabelle, I'm sure what you're going to ask isn't as bad as you think." Erik replied.

 _Oh no, it's worse than you think._ Annabelle thought.

"Don't go through with this plan." Annabelle suddenly said.

Erik was caught by surprise and started to move away from her.

"What?" Erik asked, confused if he heard her right.

"Don't go through with it. Please." Annabelle pleaded.

Erik suddenly stood up and started pacing the room. He did this for 2 minutes, saying nothing. She could her him mumbling under his breath.

"Please say something." Annabelle begged

"You're just like everyone else. You don't want me to succeed." Erik said, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"No! It's not that Erik. I've failed you!" Annabelle protested, now standing up with Erik.

"This was never about you _helping_ me! You're just helping Christine! You don't want her to suffer like you have down here!" Erik roared at her.

"Erik, listen to yourself! I'm trying to save you! Please listen to me!" Annabelle yelled back, trying to reason with him.

"You know, you really fooled me! I thought the great God above sent an angel to help me, I thought he would actually show me kindness. But now I realize that you were sent from Hell! You're just trying to break me even more!" Erik yelled, still pacing around the room.

Annabelle now had tears running down her face.

"No! I am here to help you! I'm trying to save you from heartache! I know what happens after you take her!" Annabelle screamed at him.

"Then why haven't you fucking told me? You've been dancing around what actually happens! You say it's something that breaks me, well what the hell is it?!" Erik screamed back.

"SHE LEAVES YOU!" Annabelle roared.

Erik suddenly became still.

"What?" Erik asked softly, now turning towards her.

"She leaves you and runs off with Raoul." Annabelle responded quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Erik asked.

"I was worried you would try and do something stupid to prevent this. But Erik you can't. I've seen you broken on screen too many times and now that I know you and care for you. It's going to break me too." Annabelle said.

There was a long silence pause until Erik spoke up.

"You. You." Erik started.

There was another pause.

"You selfish bitch!" Erik roared.

"Erik." Annabelle said softly, now taking a step back.

"I can't believe you, you lied to me. You played me like some kind of toy. I can get Christine by myself. Go back to where you came from. I don't want you here. Leave." Erik said, exhausted.

He then stormed out of the room and slammed his bedroom door closed.

Annabelle stood completely still. She felt her hot tears roll down her face.

"But. I love you." Annabelle whispered.

She then ran to her room and grabbed her cloak, shoes, phone and ran out of the lair. She ran and ran until reached her destination. The roof. She busted through the doors and ran to the center of the roof. She then sank to the floor and started sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't stop crying, the scene just kept replaying in her head over and over again. She failed him. She couldn't get Christine to love him and in the process she fell in love with him. It's a love that would never work. What makes it hurt more is that she will probably be transported to her own world tonight. She heard music coming from her hand; she accidently started playing a song from her phone. Instead of turning it off, she started singing.

" _Angel. I knew you were special from the moment I saw you. I saw you. I said angel. I feel you're closer every time I call you. I call you. Cause all I see are wings, I can see your wings. But I know what I am, and the life I live, the life I live. Even though I sin, maybe we are born to live. But I know time will tell if we're meant for this, if we're meant for this. And if we're not, I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love, some body to love. Said angel. You'll probably never take me back and I know this, I know this. I said angel. I'm so desensitized from feeling these emotions, no emotions baby. Cause all I see are wings, I can see your wings. But I know what I am and the life I live, yeah, the life I live. And even though I sin, we are born to live. But I know time will tell if we're meant for this, if we're me]ant for this. And if we're not, I hope you find somebody; I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love, somebody to love. And even though we live inside, a dangerously empty life. You always seem to bring the light. You always seem to bring the life. And even though we live inside, a dangerously empty life. You always seem to bring me light; you always seem to bring me light. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love, somebody to love. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love, somebody to love. I hope you find somebody, I hope you find somebody; I hope you find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love. Baby find somebody. I hope you find somebody to love, somebody to love, somebody to love."_

Annabelle started crying uncontrollably at this point.

"Oh what have I done? I was never meant to come here. I've ruined everything." Annabelle said, shaming herself.

"Why was I sent here? What am I going to do!?" Annabelle screamed into the sky.

She then proceeded to cry. And cry. And cry. She cried for hours on the roof until it started snowing. She stood up and wrapped her cloak around herself. She contemplated on where to go. Clearly going back to the lair was out of the option. She couldn't go rent a hotel room, especially this late at night. There was only one more person she could trust in this world. So, there she was, knocking late at night, standing in front of Madame Giry's door. She heard hurried footsteps and heard multiple locks being unlocked. Soon the door opened and there revealed Madame Giry in her nightgown wrapped in a robe. Madame Giry was clearly surprised that Annabelle was there.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Erik?" Madame Giry asked.

"Oh Madame, I've done something horrible. And I'm afraid it can't be fixed." Annabelle replied, on the verge of tears again.

Madame Giry then quickly looked down the halls and ushered her in the room. She closed the door and proceeded to lock it. She lit a candle and sat Annabelle on the couch and then sat next to her.

"What happened?" Giry asked, concern etched in her voice.

"He was _so_ mad. I-I-I've been on the roof for I don't know how long. I didn't know where else to go and then it started snowing and you were the only other person that I could trust." Annabelle said, starting to ramble.

"Annabelle, what happened?" Giry asked again, urging her to tell her what happened..

"I had woken from a terrible nightmare and went to the library to read. I found him sitting in his armchair, reading. We asked each other why the other couldn't sleep and then we explained why. Then my big mouth goes and asks him why he's nervous about the show tonight. Then what I did next, I will never forget. Oh Madame Giry, I don't know how he'll forgive me. I told him to not go on with the show. I pleaded him not to go on with it. He got so angry with me. He started accusing me of so many different things and told me that I was from Hell. He wouldn't have been so angry with me if I hadn't help him plan this cursed show, if he hadn't fallen hopelessly in love with a woman who will never love him back, if I had never lied to him. He demanded to know what happens during the show. And. And I basically screamed it to him. Oh god, his face. I'll never forget that look of pure terror and shock when I told him. He told me to leave and I grabbed some of my things and left. Madame Giry, what am I going to do?" She asked, finally finishing her story.

"Oh sweet child. There's nothing left to do, you simply let the story play out how it was supposed to play out." Madame Giry responded with a soft tone.

More tears started to fall down Annabelle's face.

"There has to be something I can do." Annabelle said, starting to sound to defeated.

" _Cherie_ , what do you think you were sent here to do?" Giry asked.

"To change the story, give Erik a better ending." Annabelle explained.

"But you assumed the better ending would be helping him make Christine love him." Madame Giry started to explain.

"Well of course, what else would his happy ending be?"

"You, sweet child." Giry simply said.

"What?" Annabelle asked, suddenly confused to where this was going.

" _You_ changed the story. _You_ made Erik a better man. _You_ gave him someone else to fight for, to protect. _You_ gave him happiness. _Cherie_ , you are his Angel of Music." Madame Giry finally explained.

"But, he loves Christine." Annabelle said, suddenly shooting down her theory.

"But you love him. Don't you?"

"Yes, I do. So much."

"Well then my dear, you are going to fight for him and protect him like he did you. But now, we must get our rest for a busy day tomorrow." Madame Giry said, getting up and heading toward her own separate bedroom in her apartment inside the Populaire.

Annabelle simply sat there, too dumbfounded to do anything. Soon enough, her own fatigue started to take over. She took her cloak and wrapped it around herself and then laid down on the couch. Her eyelids then slowly closed and she drifted into a deep sleep, trying to forget her troubles from the day.

 **Whoah. Long chapter. Anyway, that's it for Chapter 17! I hope you all enjoyed this lengthy chapter. We're getting towards the end folks! We have a few more chapters left and then this fanfic will be COMPLETE! As always, favorite, follow, and review! See you all in the next one!**

 **-S**

 **P.S – So that is all I have as of right now. I am speed writing as fast as I can to get the FINAL 2 chapters done because I want this story to be finished but I also want to make the final 2 chapters perfect. What a journey this series has been and I'm so so grateful. I've always wanted to successfully write and complete a story. I'll just leave the sappy stuff for the final chapter ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here we are, final two chapters plus an epilogue! Everything is released and the story is released!**

 **For the singing parts later in the chapter…**

 **Example - Erik**

Example - Annabelle

 **Example** **\- Raoul**

Example – Christine

 ** _Example –_** **Raoul and Erik**

The sun was up, the birds were chirping, and the opera house was completely silent. Workers, performers, and singers trying to get some rest before the performance that night, it was the calm before the storm. But there were only 2 people in the whole entire building that were not sleeping. One anxious of the events to come and the other scared and heartbroken of the events from the past. Neither of them got any sleep that night, troubled with their own issues. But soon enough, the Populaire was buzzing with last minute rehearsals, stage hands getting props ready, the managers trying desperately to please the Opera Ghost as much as they can, both De Chagny brothers planning to bring down the Phantom, and then there was Erik, who was practicing his part so that he could be perfect. While this was all happening, Annabelle was still in Madame Giry's room, putting together a plan that was going to possibly risk her life but it would give everyone what they ultimately wanted. Hours passed and she finally had her plan down to a T. Now it was time to find a dress that would fit her. She quietly made her way to the costume department and searched for a dress. Luckily everyone was rehearsing so there was no one in the costume department. She searched and searched until she stumbled upon a dress way in the back. It was a white dress with black details all around it. It didn't have a big enough skirt to need support. It had big puffy sleeves but Annabelle planned on taking those off. It had a small trail, but it wasn't long enough to get in the way. Simple but beautiful is what she used to describe it. She then grabbed a simple black mask that would cover some of her face. She heard the door start to open, so she jumped inside the closet and closed the door. She left it open just a little bit so she could see who came in. The door opened and there he was. Erik barged in and quietly went to one of the closets across the room. He grabbed a large white dress with a veil attached. She wanted oh so badly to jump out of the closet and beg for his forgiveness, but her plan couldn't afford that luxury. She took a closer look at the dress and to her horror, it was a wedding dress. He thinks that his plan will work. She waited until he left the room and even waited a little longer until she knew he was gone. She then took the dress and went back to Madame Giry's room to fix the dress. She spent almost all day tampering with the dress and the mask. Madame Giry came back at 7 to get ready for the performance. Annabelle looked up at Madame Giry.

"You're back early." Annabelle said

"It's 7 o clock." Madame Giry responded.

"Shit. The performance starts at 8! I need to get ready." Annabelle exclaimed.

It was around 7:30 when Madame Giry was ready and went into the study to find Annabelle almost ready. She was fidgeting with her mask, clearly nervous about what the night will hold.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Madame Giry asked.

"Yes? No? I don't know. I'm so nervous." Annabelle responded.

"Just do what you think is right. Your heart knows what it's doing." Madame Giry responded, smiling softly at her.

"Thank you." Annabelle responded, smiling back at her.

"Well my dear, you look beautiful. I'm going to go down and get the dancers ready. Good luck." Madame Giry said and before Annabelle could respond, she left.

Annabelle then walked over to the mirror and did a final check. The dress looked amazing and she had to admit she didn't look awful.

She looked at the clock on the table, 7:45 it read. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"No matter what, make sure Erik is safe." She told herself.

She grabbed her mask, put it on and then went to the performance hall. She looked up and saw the Chagny brothers, the managers, and the chief of police. Luckily the didn't see her. She sat in the front so she could watch and keep an eye on Erik and the Chagny's. The performance started as normal. Everyone was on edge to begin with until Point of No Return started. Annabelle started to feel uneasy, this was the flaw in the Chagny's plan, they didn't expect Erik to be in the play. When Erik appeared, she could tell Christine knew but everyone else didn't. Annabelle started to get antsy, she couldn't sit still. Christine took off Erik's hood and she knew hell was about to break loose. Annabelle looked up and saw that Phillip was looking for her. She got up and started to leave, when she got to the doorway she looked up at the box that Phillip was in. They locked eyes and then suddenly, Christine unmasked Erik. Then all hell broke loose, everyone was screaming, guns were being shot, and Raoul was freaking out. She then locked eyes with Phillip again and then started fast walking towards where his box was. He practically jumped through the door and found her.

"Please monsieur, help me!" She screamed, she started fake crying.

"I found you! It's ok now, you're with me." He started comforting her.

"I just got away from him, please we need to go!" She exclaimed.

"Go to my carriage outside, show me how you got away from him." He replied.

She then started leading him to an old room that had no passage ways.

"In there, I forget where the switch is but it activates a secret door that will take you to him." She told him, shakily pointing towards the door.

He then put a comforting arm on her back.

"I will make him pay for what he did to you." He said confidently.

"Thank you so much monsieur" She responded.

He then caressed her cheek and ran in the room. She quickly closed the door and moved a chair in front of the door to keep him from getting out. After locking the door, she immediately started running towards one of the secret passages that Erik showed her. She looked back as she ran to make sure Phillip didn't get out. As she looked back, she ran into something, or someone. She looked up and saw she ran right into Raoul.

"You." Raoul said agressivley.

"Fuck." Annabelle exclaimed.

She tried to run but Raoul caught her arm. He then showed her a gun.

"You're not going anywhere, you're going to take me to him." He demanded.

"Over my dead body." She replied and then spat in his face.

She looked over slightly to see Nadir leading the mob like the planned. She felt better about the situation.

"Monsieur Vicomte!" Madame Giry yelled.

He ran over to Giry with Annabelle in tow.

"I will take you to him" She said.

"No! How could you? He trusted you! You backstabbing bitch!" Annabelle screamed.

"Shut up." Raoul yelled back at Annabelle, squeezing her arm harder.

It was a silent trek as Madame Giry led the pair to the boat that would take them to the lair.

"Take the boat and follow the water, it will take you to him." Madame Giry said.

"Thank you." Raoul said to her.

He then pushed Annabelle into the boat and hopped in after her. As he started rowing towards the lair, Annabelle looked at Madame Giry.

"Protect Erik." Madame Giry mouthed to her.

Annabelle responded by flipping Giry off with both hands, and she didn't feel bad about it. All she could see was red. As they neared the lair you could hear Erik and Christine singing. Erik and Christine were too focused on each other to notice that Raoul and her were there with them. Raoul stepped out of the boat and grabbed Annabelle and then held the gun to her head. They then walked in on Erik and Christine face to face. Erik then gets an evil smile on his face.

"Wait my dear, I think we have a guest."

Raoul tightens his grip on Annabelle and the gun.

Erik turns around and the smile disappears and turns to rage.

"Raoul!" Christine screams.

Annabelle looks at Erik with pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry." Annabelle mouthed to Erik.

"Sir, this is indeed. An unparalleled delight. I had rather hoped you would come! And now my wish comes true, you have truly made my night! Except, you have taken what is mine."

"Release her! And I will give you the woman!" Raoul demands.

"Your lover makes a passionate plea." Erik sung to Christine.

"Please Raoul, it's useless!"

"I love her! Does that mean nothing? I love her, show some compassion!" Raoul screamed

"Only one has shown compassion to me! And you have taken her!" Erik screamed back

"Christine, Christine. Release her!"

"Never!"

Raoul gave a longing look at Christine. While Raoul was distracted looking at her, Erik looked at Annabelle to stay quiet, Annabelle started slowly shaking her head telling him no.

"Monsieur, I bid you welcome. Did you think that I would harm her? Why should I make her pay for the sins which are yours!" Erik screamed as he ran at him with a noose.

He wrapped the noose around his neck, however Raoul shot the gun up as a warning shot. But Erik kept a hold of the rope.

"If you try to kill me, I will kill her along with me." Raoul yelled.

"Trust me monsieur, I won't let that happen." Erik responded as he made his to Annabelle.

But Raoul tightened his grip even more on Annabelle and pressed the gun to her head harder.

"Order your fine horses now! Raise up your hand to the level of your eyes. Nothing can save you now, except perhaps, Christine!" Erik then turned to Christine.

Christine was hysterical at this point.

"Start a new life with me, buy his freedom with your love, refuse and send your lover to his death. This is the choice. This is the point of no return!" Erik belted out.

Annabelle too started crying, seeing Erik so blind with love and rage, it was like a million knives stabbing her in the heart to see him love someone else.

"The tears I might have shed for your dark fate grow cold and turn to tears of hate." Christine screamed back at Erik.

Erik then looked as if he was just stabbed, the look of betrayal was written across his face.

 **Christine forgive me, please forgive me.**

Farewell my fallen idol and false friend. We had such hopes, and now those hopes are shattered.

 **Too late for turning back, too late for prayers and useless pity.**

I'm finding ways to articulate, the feeling I'm going through

 **Say you love him and my life is over**

 **All hope of cries for help; no point in fighting!**

I just can't say I don't love you, because I love you

 ** _For either way you choose, he as to win/ you cannot win_**

It's hard for me to communicate the thoughts that I hold, but tonight I'm going to let you know

 **So do you end your days with me, or do you send him to his grave**

Let me tell the truth, let me tell the truth. You know what I'm thinking, I see it in your eyes.

 **Why make her lie to you, to save me**

I hate that I want you, I hate it when you cry

Angel of music

You're scared to be lonely, especially in the night. I'm scared that I'll miss you, it happens every time

 **Past the point of no return-**

I don't want this feeling, I can't afford love. I try to find a reason to pull us apart. But it's not working because you're perfect. And I know that you're worth it.

 **For pity's sake, Christine say no**

I can't walk away

Who deserves this?

 **The final threshold**

 **Don't throw away your life away for my sake**

Even though we're going through it, and it makes you feel alone

When will you see reason?

 **His life is now the prize which you must earn**

 **I fought so hard to free you**

Just know that I would die for you, I would die for you

Angel of music

 **You've passed the point of no return**

You deceived me. I gave my mind blindly.

Everyone was out of breath, anxious to see what would happen next. No one seemed to hear Annabelle's singing during the whole ordeal.

"Erik! Stop!" Nadir called out.

Everyone looked over to see Nadir and Phillip at the shore of the lake.

"Stay out of this Daroga!" Erik yelled back.

"Raoul, let her go! She's done nothing wrong." Phillip yelled out.

Even in a near death situation, Annabelle managed to roll her eyes.

"For being the older brother, you are quite naïve. She works for the phantom Phillip!"

"She's brainwashed, she doesn't know what she's doing! I can make her better." Phillip responded

"Enough Phillip!" Raoul yelled back.

Erik then looked to Christine.

 **You try my patience, make your choice!**

Pitiful creature of darkness. What kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone!

Christine then walked over to Erik, took his face in her hands and kissed him.

Annabelle flinched and looked away. She felt tears roll down her face.

Christine then looked at him after they kissed and he had a look of pure shock on his face. Erik then looked at Annabelle. He realized that he was wrong. Annabelle meant more to him and a single kiss on the cheek had more meaning and passion than the one Christine gave him.

He walked over to Raoul and Annabelle and stopped. Raoul tightened his grip on Annabelle and the gun, giving him a death glare. Erik then screamed and cut the rope. He grabbed Christine and gave her to Raoul.

"Take her, give me the woman." Erik said out of breath.

Raoul dropped the gun and took Christine and gave Annabelle to Erik. Erik held Annabelle close to him and kissed her on the head.

"Take her. Forget me. Forget her. Forget us. Forget all of this!" Erik told them.

Him and Annabelle started walking away and he turned back around.

"Leave now! Take the boat and swear never to tell, the secrets you know, of the angel in hell! Go now! Go now and leave us!" He screamed at them.

Christine and Raoul then held each other's hands and ran to the boat.

"Come on Phillip, let's go! You heard him." Raoul told Phillip.

"No. No! Give her to me you ugly bastard! You don't deserve her!" Phillip yelled.

Erik and Annabelle turned around, Annabelle still in his arms.

Phillip then grabbed the gun and pointed it at Erik.

"Release her and I won't shoot!" Phillip screamed.

"Put away the gun Comte." Nadir said to Phillip, trying to calm him down.

He then reached for the gun, but then it went off.

It was as if the world had gone into slow motion. Erik looked at himself and saw that he was fine. But then Annabelle looked down and saw the blood dripping from her stomach.

Phillip had shot her.

 **Ah cliff hanger! Lol not really, I already released the next chapter. I just needed a place to end the chapter! So the next chapter and the epilogue pretty much marks the end of the story! See you in the final two!**

 **-S**


	19. Chapter 19

**Woah, we're here. We made it. After years of losing the story over and over again, we finally did it. This is the last chapter before the epilogue. With any further delay, here is the final chapter of The Phantom and the Texan!**

 _Previously on The Phantom and the Texan…_

 _It was as if the world had gone into slow motion. Erik looked at himself and saw that he was fine. But then Annabelle looked down and saw the blood dripping from her stomach._

 _Phillip had shot her..._

Annabelle looked up at Erik.

"Erik." She started, out of breath and then fell to the floor. But Erik held her and set her on the ground in his lap. The two just stared at each other with eyes full of love and affection. They weren't aware that Nadir had taken the gun and shot Phillip due to Phillip going crazy.

"Erik. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." Annabelle said frantically, tears rolling down her face. She was breathing heavily.

"Shhh. Stop, don't. I'm sorry Annabelle. We're going to make you better." Erik replied, caressing her face.

Nadir ran over and assessed her injuries.

"Keep her still and put pressure on the wound. We don't have much time but I think I can save her." Nadir ordered.

"Hurry!" Erik yelled back at him.

Nadir then got up and ran to the cabinet where Erik kept all his supplies.

"Don't forget my whiskey." Annabelle added, trying to lighten the mood.

Erik simply smiled at her.

"Erik." She started again but Erik stopped.

"Stop talking, save your energy. You can tell me when we make it out of this." Erik told her, frantically looking her up and down and constantly touching her. Making sure she stays alive.

"Hurry up Nadir! She's losing her strength!" Erik screamed to Nadir.

Right on cue, Nadir came bursting out with his arms full of supplies. As Nadir began working on her, he became so focused on fixing her that he wasn't aware of the scene going on in front of him.

Annabelle reached up and touched Erik's face.

"Erik, I don't have much time." Annabelle said to him, tears making their way back down her face.

Erik looked at her and began heavily crying.

"No no no. You're not dying, you're not going to leave me." Erik told her.

"Erik, please listen to me." Annabelle pleaded.

He then nodded at her to continue.

"I love you Erik. I've loved you for months and I've never loved someone as much as I love you and I never will." Annabelle told him, gently smiling at him.

"Oh _mon belle_ , I love you too." Erik said back to her, gently pulling her to him to embrace her.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you and said to you. If I could take it all back, I would. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. The day you fell into my lair was the best day of my life. You can't leave me." Erik added, looking at her with longing eyes.

"My dear Erik, how I wish I could stay with you and make the pain go away. But we both know that I don't belong here." Annabelle said quietly, her strength slowly slipping away.

She began wiping away his tears with her thumbs.

"When I leave, I want you to move on. Get out of this country with Nadir, don't hide your talents or your feelings. I love you so much." Annabelle added right before she started hysterically crying along with Erik.

"We didn't have time, we need more time. I won't let you go." Erik told her, petting her hair and using his hands to wipe away her tears.

"Her wound is healing! On its own! What the hell is going on here?" Nadir exclaimed.

Both Erik and Annabelle looked down and sure enough the wound was healing itself until it was no longer there.

Annabelle started to feel dizzy and lighter, as if she was vanishing.

"No, no. I'm not ready to leave! Erik, I don't wanna go." Annabelle said frantically.

Erik just looked at her, he could feel her vanishing in his arms. Annabelle and him both started crying violently. Annabelle then looked up.

"Please, if there's a God up there. Any God, please help me. You sent me here for a reason, and now it's time for me to fulfill that reason. Please help me." Annabelle bawled.

She could feel herself vanish even more. She then looked at Erik.

"Kiss me. Please. If it's the last thing I ever feel, then I want to feel your lips against mine." Annabelle pleaded.

Erik then held her head in his hands and he leaned down and kissed her. It was like a million fireworks went off. Their lips moved together in perfect harmony, their lips were meant to be kissing one another. The kiss got more passionate and they held each other tighter. Soon Annabelle felt as if she wasn't even there anymore and then a white flash appeared and Annabelle fell onto a hard floor.

She opened her eyes and waited for her eyes to adjust. Once she could see clearly, she looked around at her surroundings. She saw her couch, her laptop on the floor with her, her phone and headphones next to her, and then looked further around and saw that she was inside her house. She then looked down at herself and saw that she was in her normal clothes that she was in before she landed in Erik's lair. Erik. She was overcome with emotion, she wondered how he would handle her being gone. She started crying on the floor with her head in hands. She cried for her broken heart. She cried for Erik. She cried for how much she already missed him. Her cries were then interrupted by distant groans. She slowed her crying to small sniffles and started listening intently. The groans got louder. She got up and walked towards her kitchen. As she neared it, the groans got even louder. She walked into kitchen and stopped immediately. Her eyes grew large and her mouth nearly dropped to the floor.

"Holy shit. Erik?" She said loudly.

Sure enough there was Erik, crouched on the floor, in his normal attire. He then looked up at her and stood up. He slowly walked up to her and then held her face with his hands. His face of pure shock.

"Annabelle? Is that you?" He asked.

She simply nodded and her tears came back in full force.

"Oh _mon belle_!" He exclaimed.

He then embraced her, lifted her off the ground, and swung her around. They both started crying with tears of happiness. He put her back on ground without releasing her. They stayed that way for around 15 minutes. They pulled back and looked at each other.

She looked up him up and down too shocked for words.

"How? How are you here?" She asked out of breath.

"I don't know. All I remember is kissing you and then I landed here." He replied.

"Speaking of kissing." Annabelle said.

She then grabbed his face and kissed him. He caressed her face with one hand and held her by the waist with his other hand. The kiss was short and filled with passion. They pulled apart and just looked at each other with amazement.

"I guess you're stuck with me." Erik told her with a smirk on his face.

She smiled back at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Erik Destler, I will gladly be stuck with you anywhere." She responded.

He then gave her a quick peck and released her. He started walking around, exploring the house. She followed closely behind him.

"So this is your home?" He asked.

"Yep. All mine. I know it's not as luxurious as your home, but I like it." She said proudly.

"It's very. Quaint" He said.

She then rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Hey, I have things in this house that do things that you probably haven't even thought of!" She added.

He laughed in response.

They soon made it to her bedroom. He looked around and stopped in the center of the room. He turned around and faced her.

"What now?" He asked.

"We live the rest of our lives together. Take it step by step." She told him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He smiled in return.

"I like that plan." He replied and then gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"It's going to take some adjusting. But I think you'll find this world a lot more accommodating." She told him.

"If I have you to help me through it, I think I'll be just fine." He relied.

He then picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They both started kissing each other passionately. He then threw her on the bed and climbed on top of her. They started making out and started taking off pieces of clothing. Erik started leaving trails of kisses down her neck until he felt Annabelle start laughing. He looked up at her with a confused look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I just imagined you in a T shirt and jeans with a baseball cap on." She said in between giggles.

"Me in what?" He asked.

"Oh you'll see. We have the rest of our lives to figure it out." She replied.

The two then continued knowing that they had each other no matter where they ended up.

 **Yep. That just happened. I'm seriously tearing up over this. I just want to thank all the readers who patiently waited through all of the problems I was going through with this story. But we did it. We made it to the end. I couldn't be any more proud of this story; 2 years in the making! It feels weird knowing that I don't have to keep writing for this story. I honestly thought it would be 20+ chapters but I am very content ending it at 19 with an epilogue. I don't what else to say besides thank you. See you in the epilogue.**

 **-S**


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue: 10 years later

"Lucy Elizabeth Destler! Stop running, you're going to hurt yourself!" A very pregnant Annabelle yelled at her energetic 4-year-old daughter.

Then Erik ran out and grabbed the 4-year-old and held her.

"What are you doing running around stressing mommy out?" Erik joked with the girl.

He then proceeded to tickle her. He walked out to his wife and lowered their daughter to her belly.

"Do you want to say hi to your brothers?" Erik asked the little girl.

"Brothers? How do you know there's multiple?" Annabelle asked.

"A father's intuition." He replied, smirking at her.

She laughed in response.

The little girl proceeded to talk to her mother's belly.

After that night when Erik landed into 2015 with Annabelle, the two began planning their future. They dated for 6 months before Erik proposed with her mother's approval. They never told anyone how they really met and how she was in his world. They knew no one would believe them, who would with a story like that? They told everyone that they met at a Phantom of the Opera performance. It seemed fitting for them. Erik adjusted fairly quickly to the modern world, faster than Annabelle expected. Soon enough he found a job as a conductor for a college symphony orchestra. He composed for them and soon moved the school from middle of the rankings to the top 5. He loved his job and was always composing. Annabelle soon rose to the top in the horse training world. Erik supported her and adjusted quickly to her profession. He helped her whenever she needed it. They did have their downs. It took Erik awhile until he was finally able to leave the house without the mask on. Annabelle was constantly convincing him that he didn't need it and that would always lead into a fight with them both asking for each other's forgiveness at the end of it. After 6 months of dating and going through tough times, Erik surprised her with Love Never Dies tickets. After the performance during the curtain call, the cast called Erik and Annabelle to the stage. It was there that Erik proposed to Annabelle in front of hundreds of people. She said yes and she was quick to tell all her friends. They were engaged for a short 6 months. She didn't want a big wedding, just a small ceremony with friends and family. It was a beautiful service full of tears from everybody. After they were married they went on a honey moon in France. They toured the city and even went to a tour of the Opera Populaire. They laughed to themselves hearing the story of the infamous Phantom of the Opera. When they got home, they discussed children. Annabelle and Erik both knew they wanted to wait and make sure they were stable enough for children. Annabelle stayed on birth control for two years until they were sure they were ready. Then in 2019 she found out she was pregnant. They couple were ecstatic to have their first child, however due to some difficulties during birth, the baby was still born. Both Annabelle and Erik were sad about their baby. They had a small funeral for their daughter and then Annabelle said she wanted to wait before they tried again. Annabelle went into a deep depression that almost split her and Erik up. However, Erik was able to pull her out of it. Then in 2020 they found out she was pregnant again. They pregnancy was normal and the baby was healthy and alive. She gave birth to their daughter Lucy Elizabeth Destler. After the birth of Lucy, the couple decided to wait to have more children. Annabelle took a break from training after the birth of their daughter and Erik even took paternity leave to help Annabelle. When Erik went back to work, he made sure to spend less time composing and more time with his wife and daughter. Then in 2024 they found out Annabelle was pregnant again, this time Annabelle wanted to wait until the birth to find out the sex of the baby. Now it's the year 2025 and Annabelle is due any day now. Annabelle and Erik decided to take Lucy on picnic with just the three of them before Annabelle gave birth. Erik being the protective dad and husband he is, took the basket and their daughter to the pond they had on their property. He made sure to go slow and check on Annabelle. Once they made it to the pond, Erik put down the blanket and made Annabelle sit down.

"Erik, I'm fine. I can take care of myself." Annabelle told Erik as he helped her down.

"I know you can _mon belle_. But what kind of husband would I be if I let you?" He said, taunting her.

He then sat down next to her and held her. They watched as their daughter chased butterflies nearby.

"How did we end up here? How are we so happy?" Annabelle asked.

"Because we have each other. Because we love each other. Because we never gave up on one another. We wouldn't be this happy if we hadn't gone through the hard times." Erik told her, petting her hair.

"Do you ever think about our time-"Annabelle started but Erik finished her sentence.

"In Paris 10 years ago?"

"Yeah."

"Of course. If it wasn't for you landing in my lair and changing me as a person completely, I wouldn't be here. With you. With Lucy. With our little boys inside that tummy of yours." Erik said.

"You changed me. Did you know that? During my time there." Annabelle told him.

"How so?" He asked.

"I was a cold and distant person back then. I used sarcasm to cover up how lonely and sad I was. After my dad's abuse, I refused to believe in love. If someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally did something like that to you, then love doesn't exist. But you. You changed that. It took me 6 months to realize that I was completely head over heels in love with you. And when I finally realized it, it hit me like a freight train and I fell hard for you." Annabelle said with a few tears running down her face.

Erik looked at her and took her face in his hands. He wiped away her tears with his fingers.

"Don't cry. You know what it does to me. I love you so much and I will do anything I can to protect and love you and our children." Erik proclaimed.

Annabelle simply smiled at him.

"I love you too." Annabelle said to him.

They then shared a short passionate kiss. After they pulled apart, Annabelle called Lucy over for lunch and the family ate.

Their lives weren't perfect. Their relationship wasn't perfect. As far as they were concerned, they've faced the ultimate trials of a relationship and have come out stronger than they were before. Perfect wasn't a word they used to describe their relationship or their lives, they didn't have to nor want to. If they had each other, they knew they would be just fine. And they were in fact, just fine.

 **I'm not crying, you're crying ;( But yes, that is the end to Erik and Annabelle's journey. I hope you all were satisfied with the ending, I know I was! I just want to say thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. It's been a long journey to get to this point but we made it. I have enjoyed every minute writing this story and I hope you have loved it as much as I have. This is my first story that I have actually finished. I have such a strong love for the Phantom world and have wanted to write my own story for so long and I finally did it. I couldn't be anymore pleased with how it turned out. I also have something else to announce, I have started writing another Phantom story! I won't release it until it is completely finished so ya'll don't have to wait 2 years for it to end! That's all I have for now, make sure you follow me so you don't miss the next story. See you in the next one**

 **-S**


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